《Midas Touch》


 Chapter 1: An Iron Pill

    five years. Five long years of stress and pain only to realize that it all led nowhere. Five years ago, to this day I was given an option. It was a bitter option which entailed selling everything my Emerson family worked the last century to achieve.


    Five years ago, my family bank received an offer of sale from Proscan International. At the time I was 24 years old graduate, full of vigor and ambition, believing that I would be the one to revitalize my family inheritance which is why I immediately declined the offer.


    There really is no need for me to walk you through all that happened after that. Long story short, I failed to keep the bank running with competition from an international bank and eventually had to declare bankruptcy.


    Naturally, that old adage that there is no pill for regret exists truly does stand true. However, there does exist a pill for failure, an iron pill to be exact. Which is why on the anniversary of the worst decision of my life, I sat with a drained cup of whiskey and a loaded gun pointed at my temple.


    You know what they say about your whole life flashing before your eyes when you know you¡¯re about to die, I can tell you this is in fact true.


    However, in my case, instead of it starting from the past to the present, it went in reverse. I saw myself sign the bankruptcy papers, saw myself get divorced, saw myself beg Proscan for another chance to buy my bank, and I finally saw myself sitting at this exact position sneering at three men in black suits.


    Oddly enough my flash back paused at this moment. I slowly felt my eyes blur and my point of view change to that of me sitting there across from those three lawyers. At first, I thought it was just my imagination over-emphasizing the worst moment of my life, sort of like one last middle finger.


    However, I could soon feel the humid summer air in the room and could smell the cologne that I usually wore back then instead of the stench of whiskey that followed me for the last few years. But before I could fully digest what I am seeing, one of the lawyers across from me spoke:


    ¡°We would like you to quote us what you are willing to sell you family¡¯s bank for. If it is an acceptable amount, we can complete the deal here and now.¡±


    One of the lawyers spoke while gesturing to the blank check sitting on the coffee table. I often dreamed about this exact check for the last five years wondering why I never took this chance when it was presented to me and here I am now seeing this moment flash before me before I bite it.


    ¡°Go fuck yourselves¡­.¡± was my response last time. But this time as I am about to die, I felt this deep inkling to make the right decision, so I took a deep breath and spoke with some caution:


    ¡°Ok¡­¡­20 million.¡±


    I immediately felt my heart beat a bit faster as I saw the three men glance at each other for a second before one of them spoke:


    ¡°We are willing to go as high as 17 million. This is already slightly higher than the worth of your family bank and we would be willing to retain your staff and the Emerson Bank name if you accept.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Now I was at a loss. This is supposed to be a flash-back and nothing more. I made an offer so that I can rest in peace. How is it that these figments of my imagination are holding conversation ad negotiating?


    I immediately stood up with a start and a bewildered look on my face as I stared at the lawyers as if they were ghosts. Seeing my reaction, the lawyers were surprised before one of them spoke again:


    ¡°Are you ok Mr. Emerson¡±


    Ok. One of two things must have happened. One, I time travelled to the pat back to this exact moment or two, I must be having a manic attack as I am about to off myself leading to my construction of this fictitious scenario.


    Honestly, I am more inclined to believe the latter since there is no such thing as time travel. I immediately sat back down of the chair, close my eyes and squeezed an imaginary gun against my temple but after a few seconds nothing happened.


    Thinking that this must be an especially vivid manic state, I decided on a course of action. There is plenty of time to pull the plug later, but I should enjoy correcting some of my mistakes of the past while I am in this manic state. It will serve to somewhat lessen my guilt.


    I immediately opened my eyes to see three astonished lawyers looking at me as if I was insane, which Is justified considering I just tried to shoot myself with an invisible gun. I However, paid no attention to their concerns since this is ultimately a dream. I immediate spoke with a smile:


    ¡°15 million. And I get to retain this main building but will lease it to you for five years for 300,000 pounds per year.¡±


    I waited for the three of them to respond as they looked at me like one would look at a sick puppy before getting themselves under control and speaking:


    ¡°You are gaining less money on this deal than if you took the 17 million. Are you sure this is what you want Mr. Emerson?¡±


    This is true but the guilt I felt from losing this building was so substantial I couldn¡¯t let it happen again. I know I can¡¯t save the Emerson Bank, but I can let it live on in some form and retaining this ownership of this building is my way of making sure that I at least maintain some control of the. Bank in spirit if not in form. I immediately responded with a smile:


    ¡°That is fine. I need some sort of income now that I am about to be unemployed. By the way, I am willing to keep a minimum of 10 million pounds with your bank as long as you can guarantee 20% returns. What do you think?¡±


    The lawyers¡¯ faces immediately lit up. Not only do they get to take over my family business, but they can also retain the money spent in their bank. This is practically getting everything for free, however, they were not dumb enough to agree to 20% returns so one of them immediate responded:


    ¡°10% returns.¡±


    ¡°15% and let¡¯s call it a deal.¡± I immediately responded.


    The three of them looked at each other and whispered for a few seconds before one of them spoke again:


    ¡°15% but you have to keep a minimum balance of 10 million at all times for the next 10 years. Furthermore, it won¡¯t be compounding, so you will only get returns on your principal and not on the total after returns unless you annually deposit double your returns annually.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Its great doing business with you gentlemen. Please proceed to the legal department and finalize the details of the deal. I¡¯ll sign the paperwork afterwards and then you guys can take over operations.¡±


    I immediately stood up and stretched my hand out to the similarly standing lawyers. I really still can¡¯t believe that this is happening. I don¡¯t know how long this manic state would last, but I really hope it would go on forever.


    As I was shaking the lawyer¡¯s hands with a blank look on my face, one of them spoke with a dubious voice as he pointed at his temple with his index finger:


    ¡°Why did you do this Mr. Emerson?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I do that when I think. Don¡¯t mind it. Haha¡±


    I immediately responded with a nervous chuckle while replying. I couldn¡¯t possibly tell them that this whole world is a figment of my psyche and that I was trying to end it all. This might truly land me in a psych ward.


    After the handshakes, one of the lawyers spoke as the other two moved towards the exit of the office:


    ¡°If everything goes accordingly, we¡¯ll have the paperwork signed by tomorrow and have our staff take over by in two days. At that point, you¡¯ll be the youngest millionaire in the town of Brandermill. Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Thank you. I just hope you guys will take care of my family¡¯s bank.¡±


    After all the pleasantries, the three lawyers left to get the minutiae of the deal out of the way and I sat back on that same seat where I was about to end it all with a blank look.


    When will this manic state end. I truly don¡¯t want it to end, but I also don¡¯t want to continue sitting in that dark room with a loaded gun forever. Should I even try to make anything out of this life if it is only a fleeting manic state, or should I grasp this as a second chance to make something out of an otherwise meaningless existence.


    But is it an existence is it is all in my head while the true me is laying in some psych ward somewhere in real-life.


    I don¡¯t know. I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. But I do know that I just saved my family¡¯s legacy from crumbling. Regardless of it being a figment of imagination, I have made the right decision, albeit somewhat late.


    But what now¡­¡­¡­.

 Chapter 2: Old Drunks and Purpose

    Simon continued sitting on the lavish chair in the office with a blank look and a frown on his face. He really was sure this was nothing but a hallucination, but he was conflicted. Everyone dreams about going back to the past and fixing their errors, and yet, he still felt like this was nothing but a fleeting moment that would only serve to cause him more pain when he realizes it was all a dream.


    After thinking aimlessly for a short while without coming up with anything concrete, Simon stood up and walked to the window of his office. As soon as he looked out of the window, a strong feeling of nostalgia and sadness hit him. Right across the street from the bank was a row of small two-story building made out of stone with different signs hanging in front of each building.


    There was a grocery store, a tailor and even a tax accountant¡¯s office. Simon had all sorts of memories from each of those stores from when he was young and would come to work with his father during summer vacation.


    However, it has been years since Simon has set eyes on some of the owners of those buildings. Due to his own rushing about to save his family bank and a series of other events, this street would be taken over and demolished only to be replaced by an outdoors mall. The uncles and aunts who often talked to him when he was young soon scattered.


    Although to be fair, he really lost contact with them far before his falling into dire straits. This is because after inheriting the bank from his deceased father, the 24-year-old Simon saw himself above others and disdained talking with them.


    Now all he wanted to do was go out and hug each and every one of those aunts and uncles because a few years later when he was complete done, it would be some of these people who extended helping hands while those he considered friends abandoned him. It taught him the meaning of that old saying about friends in need.


    Simon immediately decided and walked towards the exist of his office, he no longer cared if this was a dream of not, the chance to see those people who truly cared about him at before all their lives changed forever was a chance that he was unwilling to waste.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Outside of a small little building with the words Shepard¡¯s on a small sign on the fa?ade, half a dozen old men were sitting under a large umbrella with large mugs of beer in front of them and cigarette smoke drifting about.


    Seeing people drink so openly at ten in the morning would be alarming anywhere else, but on small rural Brandermill, this was the norm. Especially considering that this group was composed of the oldest people in town.


    ¡°What a waste of a year. I think the last team we were this low, Kenny here was still a virgin.¡±


    One of the old men, a man with more wrinkles than hair, said while gulping down a few mouthfuls of beer.


    ¡°Right. In fact, the reason Kenny actually lost his virginity in the first place was because of our victory back then. Hahaa¡­¡±


    Another of the old men spoke with a loud laughter that attracted the attention of some pedestrians, but no one paid them any more attention than that. One of the old men immediately slammed his mug on the table and was about to retort when a youthful voice sounded from behind them:


    ¡°Ah. I see the Granduncles are busy day drinking again. I wonder if I should call the police and report some public intoxication.¡±


    All six men turned their heads with a look of incredulity on their faces. No one ever bothers to call them out let alone speak to them so freely. However, the moment they saw who was speaking, their faces immediately lit up and kind smiles appeared on their faces.


    The angry old man who was presumably Kenny immediately spoke with a happy tone:


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t little Simon. We haven¡¯t seen you since little Michael¡¯s funeral. Where have you been?¡±


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    It was Simon standing there with a happy smile. He was wearing a dark suit without a tie. His dark and slightly pale skin seemed to contrast under the glistening summer sun.


    He immediately pulled up a chair and sat down with the lot while speaking:


    ¡°I have been busy with the bank after father¡¯s death. But I have come to catchup with the granduncles today. How¡¯s everybody been.¡±


    The Simon back then actually wasn¡¯t that busy but was in fact disdainful of these old men who spent their days and nights drinking. It wasn¡¯t until years later that he understood that these old men actually cared for him more than those people who he considered friends.


    The bald old man who first made fun of Kenny was the first to speak with a slight grumble:


    ¡°Shitty. It seems we¡¯ve lived for far too long. Who would have expected us to live to see the day when the Brandys would be relegated?¡±


    Simon who was smiling amicably at the antics of these old men was immediately stunned. He remembered a crucial piece of information that slipped his mind because he was first at a loss and now preoccupied with sweet memories.


    This year was when Brandermill FC was relegated from League 1 to the National league. This was one of the many small events that led to the events of his bankruptcy a few years later. Since his family owned a minor stake in the club that lost almost all of its value due to the relegation and its effects, Simon lost a few million pounds that could have been substantial to the survival of the Emerson Bank.


    But more importantly, Simon remembered a small fact that could prove to be rather lucrative in a few years while also giving Simon the opportunity to solve a personal grudge. He immediately turned to the old man who just spoke and replied with a reassuring smile:


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry granduncle Frank. I am sure we¡¯ll be back to the league next season. Think of this as a chance to dominate the lower tiers.¡±


    Hearing Simon¡¯s words, the look of anger on Frank¡¯s face lessened but he still spoke with some sadness in his voice:


    ¡°I know little Simon. But I wanted to at least see the old Brandys play in the top league one last time before I die. I don¡¯t think I have 4 more years left in me. Don¡¯t even get me started on Kenny, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll make it through the winter. Sigh¡±


    ¡°Fuck you and your winter. You won¡¯t make it past tonight if you don¡¯t watch your mouth.¡± Kenny immediately retorted with spittle causing all the other men to laugh.


    One of the old men interrupted the laughter by turning to the similarly laughing Simon and speaking:


    ¡°How is work little Simon. I hope you¡¯re taking care of yourself.¡±


    Simon immediately responded:


    ¡°Oh. I sold the Bank. I don¡¯t think I can keep the bank afloat in this economy, so I decided to let it be handled by better people.¡±


    Simon¡¯s words shocked the old men to their core as they stared at him lost. Kenny was the first to gather his thoughts as he questioned:


    ¡°But your family¡¯s business. I remember when your great grandfather started that Bank to help everyone in town. How could you sell it so easily?¡±


    Simon couldn¡¯t but respond with some helplessness:


    ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t have to do it as well. But business has not been good lately, furthermore, the people that bought the bank will most likely set up shop here anyway and there is no way I could compete with them for long. I believe this is the base course of action since the Emerson Bank could continue operating but only under different leadership.¡±


    Simon was not lying since this was exactly what happened or would¡¯ve happened if he elected to not sell the bank and he was not willing to follow that dreadful chain of events again. He was committed to righting all the wrongs, and not just the ones he committed.


    The old men continued staring at Simon as if to see if he was bluffing or unsure in any way. After a few moments of silence later, one of the old men shook his head and spoke:


    ¡°Well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped then. Send the paperwork to me so I could look over it I haven¡¯t practiced in a while, but I wouldn¡¯t mind looking over the paperwork in case those people try to pull a fast one over you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry granduncle Jon. I have the lawyers at the bank looking over them.¡±


    Simon shook his head helplessly but spoke with a happy voice at how caring these old men were to him. Jon immediately spoke again, but this time with more urging:


    ¡°You trust those little whippersnappers to do a proper job over me. I wrote the books those little shits study from. Send me the paperwork and stop arguing.¡±


    Simon could not help but nod with a helpless look on his face These old men were the compatriots of his grandfather and treated him as nothing less more than the child that would sit on their lab when he was younger.


    After about thirty minutes of chatting and catching up, Simon found a lull moment before standing up and speaking:


    ¡°Anyway. I have to get going granduncles. I¡¯ll come back tomorrow, and the drinks will be on me.¡±


    Simon didn¡¯t want to cut his time with the old men short, but there were somethings he needed to look into and more importantly, he needed to find someone. Kenny was the first to speak as he put his beer down:


    ¡°We haven¡¯t paid for a beer in 40 years. Dumbass Shepard here lost a bet, you can bring some cigarettes however.¡±


    One of the old men¡¯s face twitched slightly at Kenny¡¯s words but he said nothing while gulping his drink causing the others to laugh out. Simon laughed as well and walked away after saying his farewells.


    As he walked past the entrance of his bank, or at least his former bank, the smile left his face and his eyes sharpened. He knew that everything in this world was possibly in his head, but he still felt angry.


    There are plenty of nice and caring people in the world like those six old men, but there are also heartless people who would go to any length in order to further their goals and Carl Siez was the later.


    Simon was now certain that this world was an opportunity to not only right the wrongs he committed such as snubbing those close to him and giving back to them as they have in his lowest moment. But also, right the wrongs that other committed against him. And the first on his list was Carl Siez

 Chapter 3 : The Gang Gets Back Together

    Rounding the corner of the street, Simon was awash by memories of nostalgia as he saw the sights of this small town before it was forever changed. He even recognized some of the faces but could not place their names causing him to feel a slight sense of guilt.


    Simon knew that this small town of Brandermill will not be small for much longer. In fact, numerous companies will attempt to set up branches in this town in the near future, which is one of the reasons Simon failed and one of the causes of misery that will befall this town in the name of modernization.


    The Simon back then fought against this wave of modernization as did many town people, but in the end, all that mattered were the opinions of those few who wielded true power. As he was thinking about the past, or in this case the future, Simon stopped in front of a blue Aston Martin that stood out amongst the modest cars around it.


    This car alone put Simon back half a million and also happened to be the first thing to go when he was hit by misfortune, although it was only worth a fraction of its cost at that time. Simon shook his head at how childish he was, in fact, he couldn¡¯t help but feel some disdain for himself which was an odd feeling.


    Simon got in the car and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a second thinking about the situation he was currently in. He still felt that this was nothing more than a dream or hallucination that will fly away any moment only for him to return to that bleak life.


    But, after a few moments, he steeled his heart, started the car and pulled out on the road.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    After driving for thirty minutes, Simon arrived at a small suburban neighborhood with small, single family homes neatly arranged on each side of the road. He looked around with a lost look for a few minutes as if trying to remember something specific, but after a few rounds around the neighborhood, he pulled in front of a single-story house.


    Unlike all the other houses in the neighborhood, this house was in a especially bad shape, with overgrown grass, chipped paint and a broken mailbox. Looking at the state of this house, Simon could not help but shake his head, but the smile on his face betrayed his thoughts.


    He immediately got out of his car and walked to the door of the house. He simply put his hand on the doorknob and walked in without obstruction. He expected this somehow since he didn¡¯t even pause his step.


    He immediately looked around the inside of the house which seemed to have been used as a dumb for years and reeked of alcohol and cigarettes. Simon once again shook his head, this time with less of a smile and made his way to one of the rooms of the house.


    Laying on a mattress on the floor was a half-naked man clutching a bottle of whiskey in his chest with other empty bottles laying all over the place. Seeing this sight, Simon¡¯s heart felt a few stabs of pain before being replaced a resolute feeling. He immediately walked over to the mattress and kicked the edge of the mattress while speaking:


    ¡°Hey Silver. Wake up.¡±


    Simon at first spoke with a light tone so as to not startle the man, but after a few dozen seconds of non-response, he immediately got impatient and started kicking the man himself while throwing a bunch of curses at him.


    A few solid kicks later, the man was finally up, although barely. He looked at Simon with a glazed look as f trying to place him or at least figure out where he was. After ten seconds of staring at each other in silence, the man named Silver immediately understood what was going on and bounced to his feet.


    He immediately pointed a finger at Simon and spoke with an extremely angry tone:


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing here. I thought you couldn¡¯t stand the presence of a failure like me after you became a big banker. Get the fuck out of my house.¡±


    Simon was still smiling and looking at the angry Silver who was a head taller than him. Silver was a broad-shouldered blond man with strong face and a well-shaped body. He towered above Simon causing Simon to slightly look up as they spoke.


    Simon remembered the last time he spoke to this close friend of his, which was the week after his father¡¯s funeral or two months ago at this point. At the time, Simon was ecstatic that he just inherited his family wealth and seemed intent on taking full advantage of his newfound wealth.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He immediately cut ties with those people he though would lower his stock and Silver was one of them. Silver and Simon were roommates and childhood friends before that. However, because Silver was always ahead of Simon in everything, Simon couldn¡¯t help but develop some resentment towards this best friend of his.


    That was why he decided to cut ties with him the first chance he got. However, when Simon was in his lowest moment, it was this Silver that helped him out the most. In fact, Simon spent a few weeks crashing in this very house after he sold his family manor.


    Simon felt guilt at how he treated this friend of his, so he didn¡¯t get angry at his insults and kept staring at him with a smile on his face. After two minutes of rather explicit insults, Silver started to notice Simon¡¯s behavior and was slightly freaked out. He stammered slightly as he didn¡¯t know what else to say:


    ¡°A..Alright. Get out now.¡±


    ¡°Are you done?¡±


    This was the only response Simon gave Silver after his chain of insults. Silver was at a loss for words as he stared at Simon who continued speaking:


    ¡°If you¡¯re done, go get dressed. We¡¯ll pick up little Charles and go out to lunch.¡±


    Silver couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. He thought he must have heard him wrong, but then he got angry again and spoke while taking a step towards Simon as if he might just punch:


    ¡°Who the fuck does you think you are Simon. Do you think you can just brush over what you said last time? Get the fuck out of my house before I do something I¡¯ll regret.¡±


    Simon looked at this huge man with a nonchalant look and spoke with a kind voice:


    ¡°You and I have been like brothers for as long as I can remember. I fucked up, but I will not let my mistake end our relationship. Now go get dressed and we¡¯ll get the gang back together.¡±


    Simon spoke words that he heard before, except last time, it was Silver who said those words to him when he was trying to get him to accept his help. It was at that point that Simon realized that he and Silver shared a deep bond.


    Silver was immediately taken aback. He couldn¡¯t help but think that something was not right. He looked suspiciously at this old friend of his that he though he didn¡¯t know as well as he believed. He tried to remember ever having an interaction like this with Simon, but nothing came to mind.


    Seeing Silver¡¯s hesitation and suspicion, Simon couldn¡¯t help but pat his friend¡¯s shoulder as he spoke:


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Silver. I haven¡¯t seen you or Charles in a while. I¡¯ll be waiting outside for you. Also clean your house, this place is disgusting.¡±


    Simon immediately walked out of the room and made his way to the front door without waiting for Silver¡¯s response. He really wanted to catch up with this good friend of his, but he couldn¡¯t stand being inside the house, so he opted to wait by the car.


    As he was standing by his car and thinking about the number of times he hoped he could go back and do what he did today, Silver walked out of the house and towards Simon. Seeing the Aston Martin parked in his driveway, he was slightly taken back but was too afraid to say anything since he wasn¡¯t sure about how he felt about this development.


    Simon didn¡¯t mind his guarded behavior because he knew that the rift he caused could not be healed within a short period of time, but he was willing to put in the time. He immediately tossed a packet of cigarettes to Silver and spoke as he walked towards the driver¡¯s side:


    ¡°Where is little Charles. I haven¡¯t seen him in a while.¡±


    Catching the cigarette pack with ease, Silver couldn¡¯t help but snort before speaking:


    ¡°He¡¯s probably at his office. His business is not doing so well lately, so he spends most of his time there.¡±


    Simon¡¯s eyes immediately lit up as he heard this, but he put it out of his mind as he continued speaking:


    ¡°How about you. When will you get over her and start acting like yourself again.¡±


    Silver became visibly agitated as he seated himself in the car but he didn¡¯t respond to the question. Seeing his reluctance to respond, Simon did not push, instead he started the car and started driving as he spoke:


    ¡°Did you hear about the Brandys getting relegated to the national league?¡±


    Simon knew that there is nothing Silver loved more than football and was an avid supporter of the Brandermill football club. However, to his surprise, Silver did not answer him and seemed to be deep in his own thoughts.


    Simon couldn¡¯t help but sigh within at the sight of his friend¡¯s heartbroken look. But he knew this was best for him and his future. He remained quiet for a while before speaking again:


    ¡°Hey Silver.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You should really clean your house. It¡¯s like a pigsty.¡±


    ¡°Go fuck yourself.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    A short drive later, Simon and Silver pulled into a parking lot in the outskirts of the town center where a two-story building stood. The building was rather similar to the numerous other buildings around it, except there was a sign out-front that read ¡°Preacher Holdings ¡°.


    ¡°We¡¯re here. Let¡¯s go in.¡± Simon said to Silver who was in the middle of his third cigarette. Silver took a sidelong glance at the building before grunting and walking out. Simon followed suit as they walked towards the building.


    The two-story building was really small with a small waiting area out-front and two three offices surrounding the waiting area. The second story served as living quarters so there was a ¡°Do Not Enter¡± sign in front of the stairs, although it was not needed since there was no one around to enter.


    Simon followed Silver into one of the offices as he didn¡¯t even knock and just proceeded to enter. As soon as Silver entered the room, a tired voice sounded out from inside with a hint of surprise:


    ¡°Sil. What are you doing here?¡±


    Silver did not respond as he simply pointed over his shoulder at Simon who was just entering the room. As soon as Simon entered the room, he saw a tidy office with a wood table. Sitting behind the table was a dark haired, pale man who seemed in his late twenties due. If Simon could be described as an average built guy, then this man could only be described as malnourished.


    The moment the man behind the table saw Simon, a look of incredulity passed through his face before being replaced by a mix of loathe and disdain. Simon was rather helpless when he thought about how he treated these two friends of his, so he spoke quickly before Charles could say anything:


    ¡°Charles. Before you say anything, let me tell you I am sorry. I was going through some things and acted like a prick, hope you¡¯ll forgive me.¡±


    Charles looked at Simon who had a sincerely apologetic look on his face. He was much more easygoing than the hardheaded Silver, so he couldn¡¯t help but sigh as he spoke:


    ¡°I know you just lost your father back then, and I know you might not have meant what you said to me and Silver, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact of the matter.¡±


    ¡°I know, and I¡¯ll make it up to you guys. But for now, let¡¯s go get lunch. I also have something to discuss with you guys¡±


    Both Silver and Charles were intrigued by this old friend of theirs¡¯ words. Charles was the first to speak since Silver was still moping:


    ¡°What could you possibly want to discuss with us.¡±


    Simon looked at his two friends before speaking with a confident smile:


    ¡°Gold and Glory. of course¡±

 Chapter 4: How to Waste Money

    Simon stood in front of Charles and Silver who both stared at him as if he has gone mad after his proclamation about gold and glory. Seeing how the two of them were staring at him, Simon was slightly embarrassed, but he knew that he needed to get their attention if they will ever listen to him.


    After a few seconds of silence, Simon could no longer take it as he spoke with slight embarrassment evident in his voice:


    ¡°Alright. Maybe not gold per se. Anyway, let¡¯s go get lunch and we can¡­.¡±


    Before he can finish speaking, Charles immediately interjected as he spoke hurriedly:


    ¡°We can eat later. Explain what you mean.¡±


    Simon looked at his friends face and saw a glimpse of that youthful exuberance that he remembered from years ago. Even though he reconnected with Silver after his downfall, Charles however was another story.


    Simon heard from Silver that Charles¡¯ went bankrupt after the wave of modernization that hit Brandermill. Eventually, he sold off all his assets and moved somewhere else to start again. This turned out to be another black mark on Simon heart, which is why he is currently going around trying to reconnect with his true friends.


    Simon stopped himself from reminiscence and regret and sighed before sitting across the Charles. He immediately started talking, albeit with a bit more serious tone:


    ¡°Well in the interest of not beating around the bush, I want to buy in to your company.¡±


    The small office immediately descended into silence as Charles and Silver both stared at Simon while processing his words. In the meantime, Simon pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit one. Thinking this was enough time for them, he turned to Charles and spoke:


    ¡°What do you say little Charles?¡±


    Charles looked intently at Simon as if trying to figure out the intent behind his proposal. He couldn¡¯t help but remember the last time they spoke and Simon¡¯s words causing him to frown as he spoke:


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your charity Simon. My company is not doing well right now, but things are not so bad that I need to be your little vanity project. Please see yourself out.¡±


    Charles¡¯ words did not surprise Simon who immediately released a puff of smoke into the air as he spoke:


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong Charles. I consider you family, but we are both businessmen. I want to buy a majority stake in your company. I have plans Charles, and I would like you to join me in achieving them, but you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    The atmosphere in the room immediately got tense as the two stared at each other in silence causing Silver to feel slightly out of place. Silver immediately cleared his throat and spoke In a bid to ease the tension:


    ¡°Alright guys. I¡¯ll let you guys discuss business.¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Simon immediately spoke without sparing a glance to Silver as he continued his staring contest with Charles:


    ¡°I brought you here to help me conduct a thorough audit of the company¡¯s worth.¡±


    He then turned to Charles as he spoke:


    ¡°I want to 51% of your company. If you agree, Silver here will conduct an unbiased audit to figure how much my buy in should be. Consider my proposal Charles and don¡¯t let your pride cloud your judgement.¡±


    Charles was quit for a few seconds before sighing heavily as he spoke:


    ¡°Alright Simon. I believe you. But I still can¡¯t agree because this company of mine is about to go out of business. It is not worth your time.¡±


    Hearing his words, the seriousness evaporated from Simon¡¯s face and was replaced by a confident smile. He immediately spoke with a laugh:


    ¡°That¡¯s for me to worry about little Charles. I am not one for wasting money, so what do you say?¡±


    Simon stood up and extended his hand across the desk to the flabbergasted Charles who was wondering if Simon was just pulling his leg. A few seconds later, Charles shook his head in resignation before flashing a thankful smile to Simon and shaking his hand as he spoke:


    ¡°Alright, I guess I¡¯ll take your money if you¡¯re offering it.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Great. Can we go eat now? I am starving.¡±


    Simon laughed as he shook hands with Charles, then he turned to Silver who was still wondering if it was normal to come to such decision in a few minutes.


    ¡°Hey Silver, I need you to get the audit done before Monday, of course, you can make these billable hours. Anyway, let¡¯s go get lunch.¡±


    Simon immediately let go of Charles¡¯ hand before walking to the exit. He knew he was being slightly too eager since he had just closed the sale of his bank today and was already buying into another business, but he really was excited.


    He was sure that this was simply a manic state, a defensive mechanism that is helping him cope with his failures and regrets, and he didn¡¯t know when he might wake up only to find himself back in reality with a gun to his head and no path forward.


    Furthermore, he had made more progress in the last few hours than he had in the last five years, so it was understandable that he wanted to make full use of every minute he has left in this reality to accomplish all that he always wanted.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    As Simon, Silver and Charles sat in the Aston Martin heading towards their eating venue, a silence pervaded the entire car, however, this wasn¡¯t an awkward or uncomfortable silence, rather, it was more due. To reluctance since each of them had a lot to say but did not know how to say it causing them to exchange glances ever so often only to end up chuckling.


    Eventually, it was Silver who broke the silence from the back seat as he turned to Simon who was driving and spoke with some hesitation:


    ¡°Hey Simon. What was that gold and glory all about. What do you intend to do with Charles¡¯ company when you get majority stake?¡±


    Charles immediately turned to Simon as he also was wondering what those plans Simon had were. In fact, he was still worried that this was simply an attempt on Simon¡¯s part to give him money to keep him from going bankrupt, but he wasn¡¯t sure.


    Simon looked at Silver with some interest through the rearview mirror. He noticed the curiosity in Silver¡¯s face and the worry in Charles¡¯, but he still smiled and spoke with a lot of confidence:


    ¡°Well, I have a few plans, but the first is to buy Brandermill FC.¡±


    This was another case of Charles and Silver being shocked by Simon¡¯s proclamations. However, this time, there was a sense of foreboding that came from the pit of their stomachs. Charles immediately spoke up with an angry tone:


    ¡°Why the fuck would you do that. Don¡¯t you know how much that would cost, not to mention the cost of maintaining and operating a club. Furthermore, these is no way to make any money out of this since the club was just relegated.¡±


    ¡°Charles is right, Simon. This is maybe the dumbest thing I have heard, unless you plan to waste your entire family fortune on a bottomless money pit.¡±


    Simon was amused by the two¡¯s reaction, but he wasn¡¯t worried as he spoke with his trademark smile coupled with a reassuring tone:


    ¡°Relax guys. I don¡¯t know if you guys are aware that my family owns a small stake in the club, and I have it on good authority that the club will go on administration in a few days, so I can buy it for a fraction of the cost before that happens.¡±


    Charles and Silver couldn¡¯t believe what they were hearing, but they still weren¡¯t convinced as Silver immediately retorted:


    ¡°Even more reason not to get involved. This club will never make enough money to make it financially viable.¡±


    Simon was touched by his friends¡¯ concern for him, but he still chuckled as he spoke without worry:


    ¡°Like I said guys, I own a stake in the club, so I can¡¯t let it go into administration or I¡¯ll lose money. Rather, I want to take control of the club through Charles¡¯ company and actually fix the problems that plague it. I already have everything planned, I just need your guys¡¯ support.¡±


    Charles and Silver could hear the conviction in Simon¡¯s voice causing them to realize that there is no changing his mind. Silver shook his head in resignation and Charles sighed as he spoke:


    ¡°We¡¯ll help you Simon, but you have to tell us exactly what you¡¯re planning. I may not be as smart as Silver here, but I can¡¯t see any way to make substantial money with a fifth-tier club like Brandermill.¡±


    Simon turned to look at these two friends of his and couldn¡¯t help but laugh as he spoke while trying to sound as mythical and wise as possible:


    ¡°That¡¯s because there is no way to make money with this team.¡±


    Hearing his words, Silver rolled his eyes and Charles simply shook his head in resignation. Simon however, was in a really good mood as he reached for the radio and turned it on to the music channel.

 Chapter 5: Caught Between Two Worlds

    It was late afternoon in Brandermill and the harsh May sun was starting to set. A group of three men were sitting outside a small restaurant eating and drinking as they talked and laughed without regard for the people around them.


    In the group, a rather handsome, blonde man who wearing a white t-shirt that accented his muscles slammed the table as he spoke with some bitter anger:


    ¡°And you know what the worst part was Simon, I was about to buy a house and was planning to propose to her there.¡±


    Simon couldn¡¯t help but laugh, while Charles acted the adult and spoke with a reassuring tone:


    ¡°Stop thinking about it Sil. She never really felt like the one. Just think of it as an opportunity to not settle and find someone who truly belongs with you.¡±


    Charles¡¯ words made sense to Silver, but he was not in the mood to pay attention to him as he turned to the chuckling Simon and spoke with anger:


    ¡°What so funny you bastard. I remember you after you got dumped by that Eliz girl.¡±


    Simon simply waved his hand dismissively as he spoke in between chuckles:


    ¡°Right, I remember when Eliz dumped me as I was about to propose to her at my newly bought house, oh wait, that was your dumbass¡¯ story. Haha.¡±


    Silver simply snorted and put his attention to downing his beer. Charles also chuckled slightly but kept it under control. He then turned to Simon and spoke:


    ¡°Alright guys. I¡¯ll head out now. Tomorrow is Saturday, so we can get together at my office and go over the books then finalize everything.¡±


    Simon wiped his teary eyes while replying:


    ¡°That sounds good. I have to finish the paperwork on the sale of my bank tomorrow as well. I¡¯ll get to your office around noon. Hey Silver, can you get there earlier tomorrow and do the audit.¡±


    Silver who seemingly hasn¡¯t recovered from his anger responded with a simple nod before getting back to drinking. Seeing this, Simon immediately stood up and brought out his phone as he spoke:


    ¡°Alright then gents. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. Anyway, am too drunk to drive, so get a taxi.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    After a short ride in a taxi, Simon arrived in well-lit neighborhood with numerous big houses peppered erratically all over the place. The taxi stopped in front of a relatively small mansion with a tall, stone fence.


    Simon paid the man and then walked unsteadily through the gates and to his house. This house was somewhat older than the other houses around it and seemingly smaller. However, it was still a mansion with three stories and a masonry fa?ade that made it look like a castle.


    Simon looked at the mansion with some sadness evident in his face. He really never expected to set foot in his family¡¯s ancestral home ever again since he had sold it a year after inheriting it some four years ago.


    And yet, here he is walking through its rustic and luxurious doors and gazing at those pairs of marble stairs that seemingly sprouted out of the ground on either side of the voyeur. Simon did not know if it was the alcohol or the nostalgia, but e couldn¡¯t help but feel a burning sensation in his heart.


    He trudged forward towards the area between the two staircases with tears in his eyes. There was a mahogany double door with intricate, silver patterns, sandwiched in-between them. Simon pushed the door and felt around for a light switch which he eventually found.


    What greeted him was a rather expansive study with a large desk in the middle surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of books adorning the walls. Simon looked at the study as he failed to ebb the tears that flowed from his eyes.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    This was his father¡¯s and grandfather¡¯s study. He remembered doing his homework next to his father when he was young, he remembered bringing his father teaching him how to write a check on that same desk, or his mother standing over him as he rearranged the books he brought down into their spots.


    He never realized how much of his life was tied to this house until he had to sell it. And now, here he was through an unlikely event standing in that very house as its owner. Simon was at a loss of what he was feeling. He knew that this possibly couldn¡¯t be, but he also knew that this was all he ever wanted.


    Cognitive dissonance is a powerful and terrifying phenomenon, as Simon felt his heart and mind creak while caught in between his inability to believe that this is real and his sincere wish that it is. He immediately walked to the side of the study where a small cabinet topped with a myriad of liquors sat.


    Simon immediately reached for the whiskey, which also happened to be the one with the most liquid in it and then trotted unsteadily towards the desk while taking large swigs straight from the bottle.


    He proceeded to sit on the office chair behind the desk with the whiskey in his hand. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle drunkenly at the fact that whiskey was with him every time he feels lost.


    However, as he continued drinking from the bottle, his thoughts got more and more disordered, until he could no longer feel himself. Eventually, the bottle slipped from his hand, and his head slumped down on the desk.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    This was all Simon wanted, a slight reprieve from the onslaught of fear, suspicion, hope and hopelessness that was assailing his mind.


    However, As Simon hit his head against the desk, he felt mind sober up before immediately being overwhelmed by an eerie sensation, like what you would feel at the peak of a roller-coaster right before the fall.


    Simon immediately tried to open his eyes, but he couldn¡¯t. He just felt that indescribable sensation while surrounded by darkness. And then the fall came.


    He felt himself fall, in darkness, and in astonishing speeds. He immediately tried to grab onto something, anything, but he couldn¡¯t feel his hand, in fact, he couldn¡¯t feel whatsoever, except that he was falling.


    Fear gripped his heart but was soon replaced by anxiety as he continued falling for minutes, and then the minutes turned to hours. At this point, the feeling of falling did not lessen, but Simon was no longer trying to fight it.


    At first, Simon simply prayed, and then he begged, and then he got angry, but this was all within the first hour of falling. By the second hour, Simon simply gave in as his descent into oblivion continued.


    He could not understand what happened, but he suspected that he must have died from alcohol poising, or perhaps he pulled the trigger and ate that iron pill, either way, he was convinced that this was death.


    It was slightly underwhelming, but this was death. And honestly, he didn¡¯t mind it too much since there was no hell. He only felt that it was somewhat bland since he only had one feeling which was falling.


    However, as he was settling comfortably into his afterlife and the sensation of eternal descent, he immediately felt the feeling disappear. This slight change immediately alarmed Simon and wrenched him from whatever thoughts he was having, however, before he could fully analyze what this meant, now that his eternal afterlife was nothing but darkness where he felt nothing, two images popped out in front of him.


    The images slightly blurry, as if he was looking through a layer of water, however, he could still make out the scenes In the two images. He was immediately at a loss as he had no idea what to make of what he was seeing.


    Sitting in front of Simon where two images of himself. However, one of him was holding a gun to his head while the other him was passed out with his head resting on the desk in the study. Simon was truly flabbergasted. The prospect of two of him almost drove insane, and now there were three of him with one of them watching the other two?


    ¡°What the fuck is going on.¡± Was what Simon wanted to scream, however, he couldn¡¯t do anything except look alternatingly between the two images of himself. A few minutes of being at a loss for words, both literally and figuratively, Simon noticed something.


    The two images of himself were not truly stationary, rather, they were moving at a very slow rate as he noticed his index finger twitch slightly as if trying to squeeze the trigger.


    Simon was immediately overtaken by a sense of urgency and fear that trumped his feelings f confusion. He instinctively reached towards the image of himself holding the gun and then felt that exact same feeling of falling, except he fell towards his gun holding self.


    A split second later, Simon felt his vision change. He was staring at a wall, but he didn¡¯t have the time to wonder as he immediately moved his right hand quickly from. He then felt a cold feeling disappear from his temple as he turned and stared at the gun in his hand with an incredulous look.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on.¡±


    This time, Simon was able to scream as his voice reverberated throughout the dark office. Simon immediately put the gun on the coffee table in front of him and scrambled for his phone that was in his pocket.


    The date on the phone showed that he didn¡¯t in fact go back to the past, and that everything he experienced in the last day was nothing more than a figment of his imagination. However, a small part of him could not accept this explanation. He immediately sat back down on the sofa as he continued staring blankly at his phone.


    He was not a believer in the supernatural, but he had no explanation for anything that happened to him. He, who was trying to kill himself, found himself in the past, but just when he was settling in to his past life, his mind suddenly left his body and he fell for an hour through empty space before somehow ending up back in the future.


    Simon could not understand what to feel or belief, but he was sure that there was more to this than he understood. He immediately closed his eyes and tried to replicate that feeling of falling.


    Lo and behold, he immediately felt himself falling for a few seconds before finding himself standing in front of two blurry screens except this time, one of him was not holding a gun, but rather sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed and a constipated look on his face.


    Simon finally felt like he understood what was going on, except, he had no idea how this was possible, or if it was temporary. However, he couldn¡¯t risk being stuck in this state of non-being, or in that awe full reality where he had nothing and no one.


    He immediately willed himself into the picture where he was passed out and felt his vision blur before noticing the marble floor. He had a terrible feeling immediately take over him as the drunkenness kicked in all at once, but he still pulled his head off the desk and stared at the door across from him.


    He was still drunk to the point of barely keeping his head up without a feeling of wooziness flashing through his entire body, however, he still laughed out with a sense of relief and accomplishment.


    He was not dead, and he was not back to the dreadful life, so he immediately felt a mix of relief and happiness overwhelm him. He immediately put his back of the desk and promptly passed out with a contented smile on his face.

 Chapter 6: Capitalize

    Saturday, May 17, approximately ten in the morning. Simon who was laying wretchedly on the study floor opened his eyes as the morning rays from the window hit him. He rolled to his side and went back to sleep. However, a few seconds later, he jumped up from the floor and looked around in a daze.


    He distinctly remembered the dreamlike experience of going back and forth from the past and the present or was it the present and the future. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if that was a dream, a drunken vision, or reality.


    He immediately sat slowly on the office chair before pulling out his cellphone and staring quietly at the date. He sighed slightly, before leaning back on the chair and closing his eyes. The moment he closed his eyes, he attempted to replicate that feeling of falling he remembered from last night.


    He found that it wasn¡¯t easy to replicate feelings, but the fact that he ¡®fell¡¯ for more than an hour without feeling anything else caused the feeling of fall to be imprinted in his mind. A few seconds later, Simon immediately found incorporeal self in front of the two blurry windows showing two of him at two different locations with their eyes closed.


    Simon couldn¡¯t help but feel an explainable sense of giddiness flood through his mind. This incredible phenomenon was nothing short of a godsend for him as he couldn¡¯t help but imagine all the possibilities. However, he also felt a sense of caution and mistrust since his mind couldn¡¯t make any logical sense of what was happening.


    But for now, he decided that he would relish in his abilities and hope that nothing untoward happens. He immediately focused on the future him who was sitting in front of a loaded gun in a dark office.


    As soon as he saw his surrounding change to that of the office, Simon took his phone out and looked at the time. It was 7pm, December 14, 2017. This was about three hours after he downed his whiskey and attempted to pull the trigger.


    It seemed that the two realities were not completely static when he was in the other but seemed to move at a much slower rate. Simon stood up slowly and exited the office after securing his gun.


    This office of his was in fact in a storage facility near the highway where the sound of cars flying by could be heard constantly. Simon shook his head in resignation at the extent of his downfall after spending a day in the past. But he wasn¡¯t too disheartened.


    He immediately walked back into the office and sat on the sofa before turning on the computer and pulling up a random financial website as well as Wikipedia page. He looked at numerous sites and conducted numerous searches before smiling contently and closing the laptop.


    He then closed his eyes and willed himself to fall before changing realities to the past. Seeing that he was now sitting in a well-lit office, he couldn¡¯t help but marvel still at the disparity between the two realities, but he no time to dwell on his feelings as he took a dark leather journal from his desk drawer and writing multiple things on it.


    Thirty minutes later, he stopped writing and stood from his chair with a sense of excitement and exuberance. He really felt that life was not as bleak as he once thought, in fact, he would have been happy just getting a redo at life, but now, he not only got his second chance, but it also came with a major advantage.


    He knew he could make a lot happen with the knowledge he already had of the future, but the ability to go back and forth between the present and the future, gave much more options. In fact, he now felt that he could achieve more than he ever thought was possible.


    While continuing his musings about the future, he walked out of the study while carrying the small journal and went upstairs to take a shower and change from his cloth that still reeked of whiskey and cigarettes. He was really excited to test his theories about the two realities.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    A short while later, Simon was sitting in a taxi heading to downtown Brandermill to meet with Charles and Silver. He was slightly late, but he wasn¡¯t too worried about it since they are probably in the middle of the assets audit.


    However, that was not on Simon¡¯s mind as he was fiddling with his smart phone while sitting in the backseat of the taxi. A few minutes later, Simon called a number he found on a website which was promptly answered by a clearly female voice:The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Hello. Thank you for calling William Hill PLC. Would you like to place a bet today.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Yes please.¡± Came Simon¡¯s reply.


    ¡°Do you have an account with us?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I just made one online. Simon Emerson.¡±


    ¡°Pease verify your address.¡±


    Simon gave her his address and waited for a few seconds as the sound of typing came through the speaker. The lady then spoke:


    ¡°Welcome Mr. Emerson. What bets would you lie to place today?¡±


    Simon immediately pulled out his black, leather journal and spoke:


    ¡°I would like to place a bet on the Champions League final two days from now. Put down a 4-3 penalties win for Chelsea, with a 1-1 draw at fulltime after extra time. Also put down 83<sup>rd</sup>minute goal by Muller for Bayern and an equalizer at 88 minutes by Drogba.¡±


    The lady was quiet for a few moments as she inputted his bet before responding:


    ¡°Sir, the odds of the general outcome of the match are listed at 87/24 for Bayern Munich. With your specific predictions decreasing the odds to 90/15 for Bayern Munich. Is this acceptable to you.¡±


    Simon smiled as he recalled that no one in their right mind expected the Blues to beat the German giants at their home, so these abysmal odds were not surprising, however, this was to be one of the biggest upsets in UEFA history. He immediately replied:


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Great. How much would you like to place sir.¡±


    ¡°One million please.¡±


    ¡°Am Sorry?¡± The lady¡¯s unsure voice drifted through the phone causing to Simon to smile brighter.


    ¡°I said 1 million, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    There was no reply for a while, before the lady spoke in an odd tone:


    ¡°How would you like to pay sir.¡±


    ¡°Charge to my listed account please.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Thank you for playing. Please expect a confirmation SMS after the funds are withdrawn.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Simon immediately hung up the phone before looking out the window with a satisfied smile on his face. He immediately received a phone call from a concerned manager from his bank asking if he made a huge payment which he confirmed. A few minutes later, Simon received a confirmation text showing that his bet was placed as well as his potential wining.


    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh as he hoped that he would make more money from this bet, but that was the extent of all his liquid funds with everything else tied up in stocks and property. However, he wasn¡¯t disheartened as he was still making six times return which will be more than enough for him to accomplish a lot.


    A short while later, Simon arrived at Charles¡¯ office. After paying his fare, he went into the building. Walking into Charles¡¯ office, he found his two friends sitting around the desk with a mound of paper work scattered all over the place.


    ¡°How is it going guys.¡±


    Simon¡¯s words pulled the two from their work as they stared at him before Silver was spoke with a tired voice:


    ¡°We¡¯re almost done. Although to be fair, Charles¡¯ company is really struggling.¡±


    Charles¡¯ face was also filled with bitterness as he spoke in a similarly tired tone:


    ¡°It really has been a tough year so far. My investments are not doing well, but they are also not doing bad. There is simply no money to be made, and I neither have the capital nor heart to get into speculative investing.¡±


    Simon knew well about the struggles of this friend of his since he also tried to get into investing in the past only to fail miserably. However, things were different now since he had an almost unfair advantage.


    He proceeded to flash a reassuring smile to his two friends as he spoke in a confident tone:


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I am confident we won¡¯t be in dire straits for much longer. Anyway, how was the audit.¡±


    Both Charles and Silver had no idea where Simon was getting his confidence from, however, the couldn¡¯t help but be infected by it causing their worries to lessen. Silver was the one to respond as he handed Simon his laptop that had a spreadsheet open while speaking:


    ¡°We tallied the annual earnings from stocks and shares that Preacher Holdings owns came up to approximately 100 thousand pounds. Other assets such as this building bring the total worth of the company to 350 thousand.¡±


    Simon remained quiet for a while as he looked through the spreadsheet thoroughly before setting the computer down and speaking:


    ¡°Alright. So, I pay about 178 thousand for a 51 percent stake in your company. What do you think Charles?¡±


    Charles looked intently at Simon as if trying to figure out what he was thinking before speaking with a resigned tone:


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I really hope you know what you¡¯re doing Simon because I can¡¯t see anyway this company could make any more money than it already is. In fact, I believe, it won¡¯t even make as much in the coming years.¡±


    Simon shook his head as he sat down next to Silver and spoke:


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Charles. I know what am doing and ¡­...¡±


    However, before Simon could finish his words, Silver who was quietly sitting next to them spoke up:


    ¡°Hey Charles, I also want to buy in. I have 30 thousand that I was planning to use as a down payment before¡­ Anyway, I want in.¡±


    Now it was Simon¡¯s turn to be surprised as he stared curiously at Silver.  Charles was also taken back but not as much as he spoke immediately:


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea Silver. Simon can afford to waste money, but you¡¯re just an accountant, you can¡¯t risk it with my already failing business.¡±


    However, this was not enough to dissuade Silver who spoke in a determined voice:


    ¡°I know Charles. But I have a feeling that this might be worth the risk. Don¡¯t ask me how or why I feel it, but I just do. Anyway, are you willing to let me buy in.¡±


    Seeing that he couldn¡¯t do much to dissuade him, Charles turned to Simon for a second before looking back at Silver and speaking:


    ¡°Alright bud. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Great. Now I can quit my shitty accounting firm and enjoy the money roll in.¡±


    Simon and Charles were taken back again as they couldn¡¯t believe that that was his entire motivation for buying in, but they didn¡¯t have the heart to tell him that he would simply end up doing the same job here.


    Turning away from Silver who he thought looked dumber than usual, Simon spoke to Charles:


    ¡°Alright. 51% for me, 32% for you, and 17% for this dumbass. What do you guys think about EPD Holdings for Emerson, Preacher and Dunn.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s head downtown to get the paperwork filed and then we can talk specifics.¡±


    Was Charles¡¯ reply while Silver simply nodded his head. Simon immediately stood up and spoke as he walked towards the exit:


    ¡°Nice. Now that we have that out of the way, let¡¯s go get downtown now and get lunch after all the paperwork. We¡¯ll come back here later and plan our next course of action.¡±


    Silver also proceeded to stand up as well, but he did not care much about what Simon was saying as he spoke to Charles:


    ¡°I am taking one of the empty offices. I really am tired about that shanty of a cubicle at the firm.¡±


    Both Charles and Simon chuckled without responding as they continued heading out.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

 Chapter 7: Too Good to Be True

    After finishing all the paperwork at the County Clerk¡¯s office, Simon spent a few hours at the Emerson Bank going over and signing all the pertinent paperwork for the handover to Proscan International before proceeding to go back to his new place of business.


    Simon did not have much hope for the current stocks held by EPD Holdings since most of them were small companies that he either never heard of or didn¡¯t expect much from. He discussed some options with Charles before deciding to sell off all their shares to acquire some quick capital. Charles was more proficient at this which was why he took charge of it.


    Charles told him that it¡¯ll take a few days to sell off all the shares. After finishing all they needed to do, it was approximately six in the evening. Simon bid farewell to the two before driving his Aston Martin and heading home. He really wanted to get back to the other reality to conduct a more thorough research on what to do.


    He knew that he couldn¡¯t rely completely on his knowledge of the future to make plans since what he remembered where not much which is why he resolved to go back and forth between the two realities.


    After 15 minutes of driving, Simon arrived at his house. He changed into a comfortable set of cloth, got a small snack and proceeded straight to the study. He intended to flesh out his plans by hopping back and forth between the two realities.


    His plan was simple. Tabulate all the potential investment opportunities and sources of wealth around Brandermill before slowly expanding outwards. This enabled him to get a glimpse on all the changes the will occur throughout the city in the next five years.


    This took him most of Friday as constantly bounced back and forth between the two realities. His only time off was when he ate and when he slept at night since the constant thinking planning and research took a substantial amount of strength.


    Two days later, on Saturday, Simon was done noting down everything he found useful in Brandermill. At noon, Simon decided to take some time off and watch the champions league final. He wanted to see if there would be any differences in events between the two realities.


    However, it turned out his worries were unfounded as the game went exactly as he predicted. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of happiness about his future prospects. As soon as the game ended, his phone soon rang with and unknown number which he promptly answered:


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hello. Is this Mr. Emerson?¡± A male voice came through phone.


    ¡°Yes. Who might you be?¡±


    ¡°I am Joseph Haynes. I am a manager at William and Hill. I would like to inform you that you have won your bet and congratulate you on your earnings.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Great. I would like my earnings to be deposited back into my listed account if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Your earnings total 7 million pounds. Congratulation once again and have a nice day.¡±


    ¡°You too. Good day.¡±


    Simon immediately hung up and leaned back on his chair in satisfaction. He really has too unfair of an advantage, in fact it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for him to build a global business empire, the likes of which has never been seen in history.


    Simon immediately though about betting further on the UEFA Super-Cup, but since he now had no idea who won, he decided to the future reality to check on the specifics. However, to his astonishment, there was now only a single window of him sitting in his study instead of the usual two.


    Simon stood in the dark space with a sense of loss and confusion as he wondered what could have possibly happened. The last he was in the alternate reality was about ten minutes ago. The only thing that happened between then and now was him receiving a phone call about his winnings.


    It was at that point that a light bulb flashed in his head. It must be because of the bet. He must have caused something substantial to change enough that he was no longer able to switch between realities. He honestly had no idea if this assumption was accurate, but the notion was stuck in his head.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Simon returned to reality before sitting down dejectedly. His mood was soured by all the opportunities he missed by no longer having access to the future reality. However, he also knew that he was already operating at net gain, so he wasn¡¯t too heartbroken.


    Its only that he wondered if he could have taken any actions to prevent the loss of his major advantage. The only solace he found was the fact that he had his dark diary that was half filled with major events at Brandermill that he could capitalize on. Furthermore, the last page he filled had a set of six numbers and a date that will serve to kickstart his ambition.


    It really was unfortunate, but he knew that it was too good to be true for him to have a perpetual access to the future.


    Simon spent the remainder of his weekend organizing whatever he remembered since he no longer had access to the alternate realities. Unfortunately, the results were not as comprehensive as before, but he still managed to remember a few thigs that will be advantageous to him in the future.


    For example, he remembered the famous blunder regarding fakebooks¡¯ ipo which raised a lot of money but still caused shock prices to dip before starting to increase substantially. There was also the famous Nike split which he remembered would occur around December. Regardless, Simon remembered enough about major events to not be too worried. Coupled with the information he already managed to note down before the disappearance of the future alternate reality, he had more than enough.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    At the beginning of the next week on Monday, Simon was in his car with Charles as they drove down the highway. As usual, Simon was wearing a blue suit with a white shirt and no tie, while Charles was dressed in a full, black suit.


    Charles turned to Simon who was focused on the road and looked at him with some hesitation evident on his face before speaking:


    ¡°Are you sure this is a smart move Simon. Football clubs are not known for being profitable.¡±


    Simon who was driving looked at his friends worried face for a second before responding with a chuckle:


    ¡°Don''t worry so much Charles. We can acquire the club for far less than it¡¯s worth, and I guarantee it will be a worthwhile investment in no time.¡±


    ¡°How could you possibly know that Simon? I can¡¯t understand where your confidence comes from.¡±


    Charles was clearly unconvinced as he responded with frustration. Sensing his frustration, Simon continued speaking so as to put his mind at ease:


    ¡°Alright Charles. You know that club¡¯s recent relegation will cause it¡¯s worth to plummet substantially right?¡±


    ¡°Right. So, what?¡±


    ¡°Well, what you don¡¯t know is the Brandermill FC had a sponsorship deal with Anderson Motors that became void after relegation. Furthermore, the club¡¯s finances will immediately become unbalanced putting it at risk of going into administration, meaning that all of the shareholders will be scrambling to jump ship before that happens.¡±


    ¡°Alright. So now you have a club without a sponsor that is about to go into administration with a lack of confidence from its current shareholders. I have to admit that I can¡¯t see your point Simon.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t see my point because you¡¯re thinking of the negatives only. Tell me Charles, what would happen if the club was no longer relegated and was still in League 2.¡±


    ¡°So now you have a sponsor less club, still at risk of administration, except it¡¯s in the league 2 now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly my point Charles. There is no longer a club sponsor.¡±


    As soon as Simon spoke those last words, Charles eyes lit up for a second as he realized the potential of a professional club without a sponsor. However, as soon as he thought further into the issue, he frowned again as he spoke:


    ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, but how is the club going to avoid relegation. I am not a hardcore football fan, but even I know that the club is second bottom in the league with no games left and 2 points away from safety behind Barnet.¡±


    Simon turned to look at Charles with a cheeky grin on his face as if he was waiting for this question all along:


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but what if another team were to go into administration before the club and this other club also happens to be less than 15 points ahead of Brandermill in the League table.¡±


    Charles was taken aback for a second before responding:


    ¡°There is no way such a coincidence could happen Simon.¡±


    Simon chuckled slightly but didn¡¯t bother to respond. He also knew that such a coincidence could not be predicted, however, there was a man who predicted it in his previous life which enabled him to acquire the club for a fraction of its actual cost and then proceeding to sign a lucrative sponsorship deal that saw him gain quite a bit.


    Carl Siez was a real-estate mogul and millionaire from the neighboring city of Gloucester where he made his fortune in the early 2000¡¯s. His buyout of Brandermill FC was seen by many as a boon to the club, however, this soon proved not to be the case.


    Siex immediately proceeded to cripple the club by first leasing it stadium to another club¡¯s youth team, and then he sold any player he could before putting the club up for sale and taking his winnings. His actions might have been seen as expected for a businessman like him, but Simon held a deep grudge against this man which was why he was trying to undermine him now.


    Simon¡¯s grudge is twofold. In his past life, after realizing that the club needed a sponsor, Simon put his Emerson Bank as a contender. Siez accepted Simon¡¯s bid with the condition that Simon sells his family mansion to him. Simon was reluctant to do it, but he steeled himself and went through with the deal.


    Two months later, Siez took sold his milked as much money as legally acceptable from the team before leaving. At this point, Simon¡¯s sponsorship was worthless, and he was short a family mansion to boot.


    Every time he recalled this experience, Simon was filled with intense loathing which was why he intended to deny Siez the opportunity to own the club. Naturally, he had other plans for the club to be profitable in the long-term, but his main motivation for Siez.


    A few minutes of driving later, Simon pulled in to the parking lot of the Foster stadium which was the home of the Brandermill football club. Seeing the expansive structure of the stadium proper painted gold and purple, Simon couldn¡¯t help but smile triumphantly since this was to be the center of his future.


    Charles who was standing next to him was also staring at the stadium but with a look of worry on his face that contrasted Simon¡¯s confidence. He couldn¡¯t figure out what Simon was thinking, but he saw no potential in this endeavor.


    He turned to Simon and saw his smile and the glint in his eyes which served to lower his apprehensions slightly, but he still spoke with a strict tone that left no room for argument:


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re planning Simon, but if this doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯re cutting our losses and moving on.¡±


    Simon cast a sidelong glance at him and nodded with a smile before walking towards the main entrance of the stadium prompting Charles to follow him in resignation.

 Chapter 8: Takeover

    Simon and Charles were seated in a relatively large conference room facing a group of five middle-aged men. Everyone was quietly staring at each as if sizing one another before one of the men spoke up:


    ¡°As you can see Mr. Emerson. The board of directors have gathered at your request to hear your proposal. I hope you won¡¯t waste all of our time.¡±


    Simon who was amicably smiling the entire simply nodded his head as he responded:


    ¡°Of course. My family have always been avid supports of the Brandys. I requested your presence today to see if there is anything my partner and I could do to help with the club¡¯s current predicament.¡±


    Simon¡¯s words drew a series of frowns from the group opposite him as they didn¡¯t appreciate his roundabout way of speaking. However, he didn¡¯t seem to notice as he continued flashing his smile which was starting to irritate the directors.


    One of them could no longer stand it as he spoke with irritation:


    ¡°Enough of this charade. We don¡¯t have time for your childish games, tell us what your offer is and we¡¯ll give you our answer.¡±


    Simon didn¡¯t take the man¡¯s rudeness to heart as he immediately replied:


    ¡°To be honest, I would like to buy the club. Naturally, I want at least 95% share not including the 5% that I already own.¡±


    The entire room descended into silence as everyone went about looking at each as if communicating telepathically. A few moments later, the first man to speak spoke again:


    ¡°Am afraid that is not possible Mr. Emerson. Brandermill FC is not a public company, which means there are a lot of consideration in place regarding the sale of shares, you should know this since you yourself are a shareholder.¡±


    Of course, Simon knew about it, but he wasn¡¯t disheartened because he knew they were simply grandstanding to attempt and get a better price out of him. He simply continued speaking as if he didn¡¯t hear the man¡¯s declaration.


    ¡°I understand your reservations Mr. Steward. But let us not pretend to be unware of the club¡¯s pending administration. The company will no longer be private at that point, and I could simply buy it then for next to nothing. I am now offering you an opportunity to get ahead of the ugliness that is sure to come.¡±


    The faces of the five men couldn¡¯t help but darken as they realized that they no longer had much leverage over Simon. Steward turned to his colleagues before leaning back on his chair and remaining quiet as if he no longer cared about what happened.


    Seeing that they were starting to give in, Simon decided to hit the iron while hot as he continued speaking:


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to remind you gentlemen that even though the club has a relatively small debt, you did spend more than you earned so far in the year, and with the loss of your sponsorship, there really is no longer any chance of recouping these losses. Since this is a privately-owned club, the club¡¯s debts are in fact your debts.¡±


    Simon paused slightly to gauge the directors¡¯ reactions before continuing with his speech:


    ¡°What am offering you is the chance to get rid of this debt by selling me your shares of the club.¡±


    The board members were quiet as they digested Simon¡¯s words which made sense but fell short of their hopes since they hoped that they could get a little more out this famous spender.


    Unfortunately for them, Simon was not in a charitable mood. Especially considering the trouble these five men caused him in his past life when they prevented him time and time again from selling his shares when he needed the funds. Now, he was going to let them leave with nothing more than the cloth on their backs.


    Eventually, Simon¡¯s amicable smile was starting to morph into a sadistic grin in the eyes of the board members. One of them was about to attempt to negotiate but thought better of it and kept quiet. None of these men where stupid and they knew that finding someone to rid them of their debt was already good enough.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Seeing that no one was making any dissenting arguments, Simon turned towards Charles who was sitting next to him and nodded before turning to the board members and speaking:


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your silence as acceptance. My partner will now hand you each of you the pertinent paperwork so that we can get this out of the way. Naturally, a peppercorn payment of one pound is included. Thank you for you time and I hope we can work together some other time.¡±


    Simon stood up while still smiling while Charles passed five thick binders to each of the men before heading towards the exit without having said a single thing the entire time. Seeing this, Simon Simply nodded to the men and followed Charles out of the conference room. The moment his back faced the board members, the smile fell from his face and was replaced by a satisfied look.


    Charles who was waiting for Simon outside of the conference room spoke to him as soon as he stepped out outside and closed the door with a hint of worry in his face:


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you were a little too forceful Simon. What if they decide to sell the club for parts simply to spite you.¡±


    Simon simply shook his head as he replied while walking away from the conference room:


    ¡°You heard them. This is a private company where all the decision lies with the shareholders and I happen to be a shareholder. Also, they are not really losing much in this deal aside from a little pride.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Since you¡¯re spending your own money to buy this club, why did you have to bring me with you?¡±


    At this question, Simon¡¯s eyes really started to gleam in anticipation as he turned to Charles and smiled brightly while speaking:


    ¡°This is honestly the best part of the whole plan. We will use EPD Holdings to buy stakes in numerous companies around the Brandermill area that are slightly struggling right now but will soon start performing marvelously.¡±


    Charles couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious but looked probingly at Simon who simply continued speaking while chuckling:


    ¡°You know, caterers, transportation firms, construction companies, etc. Any company that does business with the club, we¡¯ll have some stake in, eventually, we¡¯ll be paying ourselves.¡±


    Charles nodded his head understandingly, but he still spoke inquisitively:


    ¡°Then you need the club to actually make money for this to be viable, unless you want to use your own money to pay yourself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the new sponsorship deal comes in. That will bankroll the club¡¯s expenditures for the remainder of the year, I also plan to pump some of my own funds into the club for the first season. All in all, it should be a very lucrative deal.¡±


    ¡°I hope so. Am just worried since all of this is based on you trusting that this club will survive relegation due to a freak accident.¡±


    Simon¡¯s response was a slight laugh as he couldn¡¯t explain how he knew that a club that finished some 14 points ahead of them would suddenly find themselves in administration which will cost them 15 points and essentially save the club from relation by a single point.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    The next morning, Simon and the five Brandermill FC board members were seated on the raised platform in the Foster Stadium press room with half dozen reporters sitting across from them. The media room was not even a tenth of the way filled, in fact there wasn¡¯t even a camera recording the proceeding.


    Mr. Steward cleared his throat before speaking in an unnecessarily loud voice considering there were only six reporters present:


    ¡°Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen. I would like to thank you for coming on such short notice. We, the Brandermill FC board of directors, have reached an agreement with our fellow board member, Mr. Emerson, to our shares to him making him the sole owner of the club and it executive chairman. This decision was reached after a long period of deliberation and negotiation after which we have decided the best way to secure the future of the club and usher it into a new age and new heights was to go through with the sale. Now, I will turn your attention to Mr. Emerson.¡±


    Steward extended his hand towards Simon who was sitting next to him. Simon couldn¡¯t help but internally curse this man for his high praise which served to only increase the pressure he would be under as a new owner, but he still continued smiling as he nodded to Steward before addressing the reporters:


    ¡°Thank you for coming in everyone. I would like to say that I could not be more excited and prouder to be taking charge of this glorious club. I will not bother you with specific, but I believe that this club at we all know, and love will remain as sturdy as it had for the last 80 years. Now let¡¯s go to question, but since we have such an expansive group of reporters, let¡¯s keep it to one question per person.¡±


    Simon¡¯s words garnered laughter from the reporters before they all immediately put their hands up. Simon pointed to a man directly across from him who immediately spoke:


    ¡°What brought on the decision for the sale? Is it because the club is rumored to be going into administration?¡±


    ¡°Haha. That was two questions, but we¡¯ll let it slide. The club¡¯s transfer to me was because the board of directors have decided that a new approach was needed for the club following the less than stellar [performance this past season. As for going into administration, I would like to definitively dismiss these rumors as baseless. Next.¡±


    Simon proceeded to point at another man who then spoke:


    ¡°Mr. Emerson is this purchase by the Emerson Bank or is it a personal endeavor.¡±


    ¡°This has no relation to the Emerson Bank and was done under my prerogative to try and being order to my favorite club. Yes, you sir.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Emerson. I would like to enquire about the amount you spent so as to obtain full ownership of the club.¡±


    ¡°The exact amount will remain undisclosed due to numerous reasons; however, a peppercorn offering was made for the club the exact amount which can be found in public documents.¡±


    That specific reporter didn¡¯t seem happy with Simon¡¯s answer, but Simon did not pay him anymore attention as he pointed to the only female among the reports. She immediately spoke with a bright voice:


    ¡°Mr. Emerson. You are 24 years old this year making you the youngest chairman in English football history. Do you think your age might impact your performance as the sole owner and chairman of the club?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question Miss. I do believe that my age will be a factor in how my performance, but I also believe that it will be a positive factor. I will also like to point out that David Sharpe of Wigan is only 21 and is already earmarked by his grandfather to run the club soon, and considering they¡¯re a premier league team, I think we should be fine. Finally, if worse comes to worse, I could just toss on a team jersey and start playing, although that might lose us games. Haha¡±


    Simon then turned to the final reporter who immediately spoke without prompt:


    ¡°What will be your first action as the new chairman of the club Mr. Emerson?¡±


    Simon was quiet for a few seconds before responding:


    ¡°A series of examinations and audits will need to be conducted from everything from the stadium maintenance, to the custodian staff so as to determine what needs to be done so as to improve the club and get ready for the upcoming season.¡±


    Seeing that he had answered all of their questions, Simon stood up while speaking with his trademark smile that hasn¡¯t left his face the entire time:


    ¡°Alright. Thank you for your time and please get some refreshments on your way out.¡±


    Simon then followed the board members out of the press room.

 Chapter 9: First Order of Business

    Simon who was sitting in the chairman¡¯s office in the Foster Stadium was surrounded by heaps of paperwork regarding various aspects of the club. He was joined by Silver who was doing a full audit of the financial situation of the club.


    Simon was not aware of the club¡¯s internal structure and its specific intricacies from the research he conducted, however, the current situation of the club could only be described as abysmal. The only direct employees of the club were 45 players including first team and youth squad, one coach, two assistant coaches, one director of football, and finally, a groundskeeper.


    However, Simon could not believe it when Silver told him that 65% of the club¡¯s income was spent on these people, this came out to approximately 1.9 million pounds in wages per year, not including bonuses, and other operating costs which brought the total up to a 3 million.


    Honestly, this wouldn¡¯t be out of the ordinary if one didn¡¯t consider the fact that the club only made 2.3 million a year. Simon immediately tasked Silver who was very good at audits and financial examinations to take charge of figuring out how to reduce this spending so that the club breaks even at the very least.


    While Silver was taking charge of the finances, Simon was busy reviewing all the contracts the club was currently in. The first one was the shirt sponsorship contract which was initially with Anderson Motors for a lump sum of 1.5 million per season and an extra 500 thousand in case of promotion with more conditional clauses for cup run, however, this contract was voided as the club couldn¡¯t escape relegation.


    Simon was not too disheartened by the loss of this contract since he knew he would be able to land a much better deal in a short while. However, he couldn¡¯t help but be disappointed at the old directors¡¯ lack of insight when negotiating for contracts.


    He would not claim to be the best negotiator, but he knew to at least get a clause in there that demanded compensation in case the sponsor decided to pull out before the year was over. But that was bridge under the water, for now, Simon was more focused on the contracts for players as well as the manager.


    Simon sis not have much time to follow football closely in his last life, but he knew that after the club was almost destroyed by Siez, the shareholders who bought the club after his departure fired the manager and hired a relatively unknown assistant manager who was in charge of the youth team.


    Two seasons¡¯ later and Brandermill FC were consistently outperforming bigger teams before securing promotion to league 1. Simon could not afford to wait for three years, so he planned o bring about the young assistant manager¡¯s rise a little earlier, and hope that he can replicate his success once again.


    The current manager of the club was a veteran who served as the head of numerous league clubs. He was hired by the club last year for a whopping 20 thousand pounds per week. The manager¡¯s wages alone made up about half of the entire wage budget of the club which was simply unacceptable to Simon.


    He immediately perused through the manager¡¯s contract to look for any performance dependent clauses that he could use to sack him. He immediately found one clause that stipulated a review by the board of directors at the end of each season to determine whether his contract would be extended or not.


    Since Simon was the sole shareholder, he immediately decided that he was not up to par as he simply jotted a NO at the bottom of the contract. He then proceeded to look through the player¡¯s contracts but found nothing of note.


    After being done with that, Simon pulled out his little, dark journal and flipped to a certain page which included some information about the club. He immediately saw the name James Pelletier. This was one of the current assistant managers of the club and the head of the youth squad.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Simon saw about half a dozen names next to him which were players that were instrumental to the club in his last life, but he was in no rush to try and play them since he realized that there might be a slight discrepancy considering that he was putting this assistant manager under the limelight sooner than his past life.


    Simon who was caught in his thinking was immediately pulled out of it by Silver¡¯s voice that sounded out in the office:


    ¡°Am not looking through these financial statements. I have to say things are not looking good for the club Simon. They have accrued about 1.7 million in debt with very high interest. I also couldn¡¯t help but notice that they underperformed in merchandising and matchday income this last season when compared to the seasons before that.¡±


    Simon simply nodded his head while speaking:


    ¡°Makes sense. The club simply had no notable achievements this season, languishing at the such a low tier caused the supporters to simply become disenchanted. I¡¯ll see what I can do about that this coming season.¡±


    Simon turned back to his musings as he wondered what he needed to do next while continuing to go through all the contracts. The club¡¯s relegation voided numerous player contracts since some of them were not willing to play below league 2.


    Simon was not too worried about this since he knew this was very much to his advantage because he could renegotiate for better contracts when the club returns to the League 2. Simon cast a glance at the calendar in anticipation.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    June 5<sup>th</sup>, 2012. Two weeks after Simon took sole ownership of the Brandermill football club. In these two weeks, the club saw a number of changes that was extremely unprecedented. The first thing was the sacking of the club¡¯s manager with inadequate performance cited as the reason.


    Next was the club¡¯s announcement of the appointment of one James Pelletier as the new manager of the club. Pelletier who is 39 this year was the head of the club¡¯s youth squad. A strict disciplinarian with tendency to lose his temper at the smallest of issues, Pelletier¡¯s appointment was a surprise to all the club¡¯s supporters.


    However, the biggest piece of news that came not from the club, but rather from the Football Association which announced that thirteenth place Port Vale would be placed in administration and docked fifteen points.


    Everyone was shocked by this announcement, since this meant that Port Vale which was ahead of Brandermill by 14 points would now be below them by one point, meaning that Brandermill was no longer being relegated. The person who was most stunned by the news was none other than Charles, who could not believe that Simon¡¯s ridiculous prediction actually happened.


    However, Simon didn¡¯t have time to gloat to this friend of his since he had bigger things to worry about. For example, Brandermill FC was now a league club without an official sponsor, which meant there were numerous mid-sized businesses flocking to them to try and sign a sponsorship deal with them.


    Simon, however, was in no hurry to accept a deal since none of them was satisfactory. In fact, the best deal came from Anderson Motors which offered a 2 million, but Simon refused. He was waiting for the same deal that Siez got in his last life which was much better.


    However, the thing that occupied Simon¡¯s mind the most was a series of numbers written at the last page he wrote before losing the ability to go back and forth between realities. This was a set of seven numbers that Simon wrote in an attempt to win the largest euro-million award this year.


    At the time, he only wrote down the nearest large prize because he didn¡¯t anticipate the loss of his ability to travel between realities, but now, he was more worried about the possibility that his actions might have changed things enough that these numbers were no longer winners.


    The draw was at exactly 11 at night, which was why Simon was currently sitting in his study at home staring at the screen of his laptop as he waited for the clock to hit 11. If this worked, Simon would have enough assets immediately to accomplish somethings quickly, if it didn¡¯t, then he would have to be a bit more restrained. Either way, he already went further than he ever had in his past life which could be considered a victory.


    After what felt like an eternity, the clock finally hit 11 prompting Simon to refresh the webpage to see if his numbers match. Naturally, the page was not updated exactly on time, which caused Simon to refresh the page in frustration a few times before the winning numbers came up.


    Simon immediately looked at the numbers on the screen and then at his little journal and continued to do this for a few times before a look of utter delight flashed on to his face. He immediately stood up and laughed loudly as he stared at the huge prize of 112 million euros.


    This was perhaps the happiest Simon has ever been, in fact, he wondered if this is how gamblers felt all the time. Even though he had a much higher chance of winning because he knew the numbers that won last time, the fact that this was the only lottery numbers he wrote down coupled with the fact that he wasn¡¯t even certain he would get it caused him to feel extremely happy.


    He sat back down to stare at the screen for a few more seconds as if trying to make sure that he didn¡¯t misread the numbers. However, he could still feel his heart pounding loudly in his chest in excitement.


    He proceeded to claim his reward while choosing to be anonymous of course. He knew that this money would allow him to accomplish much more than he could have if he used the funds he already had access to.


    He immediately made a promise in his heart that he wouldn¡¯t squander this opportunity.

 Chapter 10: A Finger in Every Pot.

    For the remainder of June, Simon spent most of his time away from the club working with Charles and Silver on a series of investments and acquisitions that could only be described as extravagant at the least.


    Charles and Silver couldn¡¯t believe the amount of capital Simon was injecting into the company which was at this point upwards of 20 million pounds without including the money he spent on the club itself. However, their accomplishments in this month was magnificent because of the spending.


    EPD Holdings which at the beginning of the summer only had Charles as the only employee was now home to more than thirty workers ranging from analysts, to accountants, to lawyers. The small two-story office was expanded to a sprawling mansion like building that was wider than it was taller.


    Speaking of the expansion of the company office, EPD Holdings started a series of acquisitions of companies in and around the city of Brandermill. These companies included but were not limited to a construction company, a catering company, a textile company and a transportation company and even a nearly bankrupt steelworks factory. Although Charles was unable to take a controlling stake in all these companies, he still managed to get at least 30% In some of them and at most 70% in others.


    Moving away from the external acquisitions which only cost Simon 5 million, the remaining 10 million were spent on major companies¡¯ stocks such as Facebook which just had its IPO and Nike which Simon remembered was due for a split. However, since it was hard to acquire a large number of these companies¡¯ stocks as a precaution against hostile takeovers, the company could only buy them a little bit at a time.


    In terms of the operations of the Brandermill FC, Simon granted a substantial transfer budget of 2 million pounds to Pelletier, the new coach, so that he can rebuild after numerous players voided their contract when they though the club was relegated.


    As far as escaping relegation was concerned, Simon finally landed a kit sponsorship deal with none other than Emerson Bank which was now under new management for the significant sum of 4 million with a televised match incentive of 100,000 per match.


    Simon was aware that this new bank was trying to improve their image with the city population so that they can more easily transition which was also the exact same thing they tried to do in his last life only to be outbid by himself at the cost of 5 million and his family mansion.


    Furthermore, Simon signed a slew of new contracts with the companies that were recently acquisitioned by EPD Holdings to perform jobs for the club such as catering services transportation, and even construction and maintenance around the stadium.


    These companies that EPD held stakes in were all small companies that Simon knew would expand exponentially in the next few years due to a wave of modernization that will begin in the city.


    By the beginning of July, Simon has managed to burn through approximately 20 million pounds while establishing a complex network of companies that functioned together. For example, the construction company received all the metals it needed from the steelworks factory which used the associated transportation company to deliver the steel.


    This complex web of inter-organizational cooperation made it seem as if EPD Holdings had a finger in everything that went on in the city of Brandermill. This did not escape the eyes of the media and other business which immediately started paying extra attention to this new player.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the media discovered the links between Simon and EPD Holdings which was not easy since Charles was the CEO of the company, but it also wasn¡¯t hard since it is a matter of public record.


    This was why Simon was currently sitting in his office at the Foster Stadium with a female sitting across from him. This female was the same reporter that asked Simon about his age when he first took over the club.


    She was wearing a blue pantsuit with a red shirt and had her hair in a tight bun. To be fair, she was a stereotypical reporter with classes and a notepad except for her exceptionally blue eyes that seemed to sparkle under the light from the office window. Simon who was sitting across of her smiling couldn¡¯t help but notice this detail, but he had no time to dwell on it as she continued speaking:


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Mr. Emerson, that EPD Holdings is practicing business on bad faith since it looks like you are simply providing contracts to company that they hold a stake in, therefore stifling competition.¡±


    Simon immediately shook his head as he replied:


    ¡°First, I would like to point out for the record that I am only a partner at EPD Holdings, which is run by Mr. Preacher. On that note, there is no such thing as good faith in business. It only makes sense from a business standpoint that I would pick the option that is most advantageous to me.¡±


    The lady looked deeply at Simon with her deep blue eyes as he responded with a light smile before jotting down his words and then proceeding to ask another question:


    ¡°What about the city¡¯s anti-monopoly laws, do you think that will be an issue for EPD Holdings.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know really. Am sure Mr. Preacher could answer that question better.¡±


    ¡°Estimates show that you have spent at least 25 million pounds, can you verify this figure? There is also a lot of speculation going around regarding your total net worth, would you care to comment on this.¡±


    Simon who was smiling the entire time had his smile fade a bit before simply staring at the lady reporter for a few seconds before responding:


    ¡°For the exact amount spent, it is a matter of public record, so I am sure you can find it with no difficulties Ms. Howard. As for my net worth, no comment.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then let¡¯s switch over to the Club. How do you expect the club to perform this coming season under the untried James Pelletier?¡±


    ¡°I have full confidence in coach Pelletier and he has my unending support. I believe he will deliver a wonderful season to the club and I hope that our supporters to come out in force and lay their weight behind the team.¡±


    Ms. Howard simply looked at Simon without writing anything as if to see if his response was genuine causing Simon to smile as amicably as possible. She then immediately proceeded to write something briefly on her notepad before standing up and speaking:


    ¡°That should be it Mr. Emerson. Thank you for your time.¡±


    Simon also immediately stood up as he replied:


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome anytime Ms. Howard. Have a nice day and I hope to see you around.¡±


    Ms. Howard who was stoic the entire time flashed a professional smile to Simon before walking to the exit. Simon stared at her walking away with a smile still on his face and only sat down the moment she left.


    He was extremely exhausted over the last few weeks as he, Charles and Silver where establishing the networks between business and ensuring that everything was legal and that their funding was in order.


    Having spent about 29 million pounds in this month in both EPD Holdings and the Club, Simon was left with almost exactly 100 million pounds from his lottery winnings. Simon immediately placed all of it into a trust managed by the new Emerson Bank with a 15% annual return.


    This trust would serve as a source of constant income for Simon over the coming years which will enable him to subsidize his other business ventures while also providing him with the means to acquire a substantial credit line from Emerson Bank which he was starting to establish a very cooperative relationship with.


    While Simon was ruminating about his finances, a slight knows came from the door of his office. He immediately awoke from his reverie and told the person to enter. The person who came in was a man in his late thirties or early forties. in a seemingly cheap suit, but a very cheery disposition as seen by the laugh lines around his mouth and eyes.


    Seeing that this was the club¡¯s director of football, Tom Tenner, Simon laughed as he spoke:


    ¡°You seem to be in a good mood today Tom. What brought you over today.¡±


    Tom immediately laughed as well before simply seating himself and speaking while sliding a binder of papers across the table to Simon:


    ¡°Of course, am happy. James just finished the acquisition of a young striker from the championship on loan, with this we have a full squad and are ready for the preseason.¡±


    Simon immediately stopped the sliding binder before opening it with a thought about the rudeness of the action since he already got used to this director of football¡¯s personality. Seeing the list of 27 names on the first page, followed by numerous individual pages about each player, Simon simply looked through them before setting the binder down and speaking:


    ¡°What was the damage?¡±


    ¡°Haha. I bet you won¡¯t be able to guess.¡±


    ¡°1.5 mil?¡±


    Tom¡¯s laugh startled Simon who replied with a dubious tone. However, his response elicited further laughter from Tom who only replied after a few seconds with a cheerful tone:


    ¡°75 thousand. Haha. I told you were worried over nothing. No other League 2 chairman would allocate so much money and even if they did, no one would spend it since you the players worth that much wouldn¡¯t bother coming to play at this level.¡±


    Simon¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. He expected Pelletier to not spend the entire transfer budget, but 75 thousand was much less than he imagined. He immediately turned to Tom and spoke with some worry in his voice:


    ¡°Is James confident in this squad. I want a great performance and if he can¡¯t deliver it after refusing to use the budget I gave him, it would be worrisome.¡±


    Tom simply waved his hand dismissively as he spoke:


    ¡°I told him the same thing, but he said that he was confident his squad would perform well. In fact, half of his squad consists of young players he coached at one point or another with the oldest member of the squad being 25.¡±


    ¡°I see. I hope things work out as well as he expects. Is there anything else going on?¡±


    Tom immediately pulled out a clipboard and spoke while looking down on it:


    ¡°Nothing urgent, we are just waiting on the new kits to be delivered. James as scheduled three home friendlies and two away in the coming month, so we¡¯ll need to coordinate with that new transportation company to get everything ready. We also need to get all the merchandise ready for the season, these are things I can take care of.¡±


    Simon nodded as he wrote down everything Tom was saying. After he was done writing he looked up and spoke:


    ¡°Tell James I¡¯ll keep the remainder of the transfer budget ready for him if he needs it before the window closes or in the January window. I¡¯ll make sure those kits and merchandise get to you in time since I am still in the middle of finalizing the deal with the textile company.¡±


    The textile company Simon is talking about is one of the companies that EPD held substantial shares in. Simon selected this company to provide them with the new team kits as well as the merchandise that they will be selling, however, it was taking slightly more work since they have never done this before.


    Tom simply nodded his head simply replied in the affirmative and took his leave soon after while still smiling. Simon leaned back on his comfortable chair as he felt that things were finally starting to fall in place.


    His main focus over the next few months would be on the club as he wanted to see if his gamble on Pelletier would pan out.

 Chapter 11: Like Dominos.

    Simon¡¯s business empire was finally starting to take shape with millions of pounds moving through a number of companies of different industries and some of it always finding itself back to his bank.


    The key to his nascent business empire was the Brandermill football club which served to facilitate growth in all the other companies that EPD Holdings held a stake in. For example, all catering would be handled by an associated company, while construction, transportation and merchandise would also be handled by associated companies.


    Simon¡¯s model of associated companies working in conjunction was nothing revolutionary, however, in a small city like Brandermill with a population that barely reach 50 thousand, this was very much unheard of.


    This caused Simon to turn into the talk of town as the local media pay special attention to him. Even though the Emerson Family was one of the oldest and most prominent in this families in the city, no one really ever paid any attention to them since they never made waves and simply managed their bank.


    However, Simon did not mind this increased level of attention at all. In fact, this led to the development of a lot of interest in the club as well as the generation of much more interest in those companies associated with the club and in some sense Simon.


    Sensing a sort of an opportunity, Simon commissioned the construction of advertisement board around the field in the stadium instead of regular barriers to serve as a platform for local business to advertise themselves, naturally, the construction was done by the associated company.


    Simon also proceeded to establish a public relations department for the club which handled everything from advertisement and promotions. But, the most important function he gave them was to establish and maintain a constant online presence on social media sites such as Facebook and twitter.


    Naturally, the sale of merchandise was also handled online so as to maximize revenues from there since that is one of the biggest sources of income for small teams like Brandermill that didn¡¯t have access to premier league crowds or deals.


    All these factors were very much dependent on the club performing well this coming season and mounting a successful campaign that will improve the public¡¯s image of the club. Simon really needed the club to be profitable as soon as possible since he couldn¡¯t keep bankrolling it indefinitely.


    The other side of Simon¡¯s empire was EPD Holdings which was the linchpin that connected all these seemingly random networks and avenues that were important to the success of Simon¡¯s empire.


    The holdings company¡¯s worth was steadily increasing over the last two months as the companies they help shares in grew in size due to the club¡¯s business. The company itself served as a sort of an unofficial bank as they moved about money that Simon made they made from each company to pay for services to each company.


    It was a very complex and delicate procedure that was spearheaded by Silver who, while working with half a dozen accountants, made sure to keep track of all revenues and spending while maintaining cashflow between the associated companies.


    Charles, on the other hand, had a much harder time than both Simon and Silver as he juggled complex contracts between companies while ensuring that all available assets are used to their full potential while keeping an eye on the entire company.


    In the last two months, Charles saw the total worth of his measly company increase in value so many times over that he was suspecting that it was a dream. And even though the company¡¯s operations were slightly outside of his original idea, he was still rather satisfied.


    The dominos were all arranged in place for Simon¡¯s empire and all the was missing was a simple push.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°ARE YOU READY YET?¡±


    Simon who was sitting on the front steps of Silver¡¯s house while wearing blue jeans and a gold jersey with a purple line running diagonally across from it was yelling towards the inside of the house with a lit cigarette in his hand. Charles who was wearing a similar jersey was standing next to the porch with a blank look on his face.


    Simon turned to Charles and spoke while stifling a laugh:This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter little Charles?¡±


    Charles turned to him with an aggrieved look as he spoke:


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you just take Silver. This was my day off after a long week and I would have liked to spend it catching up on sleep.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll sleep when you¡¯re dead, you need to enjoy yourself and hangout with your friends when you can. I SWEAR AM LEAVING WITHOUT YOU.¡±


    Simon finished yelled towards the inside of the house again before continuing his smoke. A few seconds later, a disheveled Silver walked out of the house wearing a similarly gold and purple jersey, except was a different style, and had the words ¡®Anderson Motors¡¯ instead of ¡®Emerson Bank¡¯ which was on the front of Simon and Charles¡¯ shirts.


    Simon immediately stood up and stomped on his cigarette before walking towards his Aston Martin and speaking as he went:


    ¡°Alright boy¡¯s. Let¡¯s get going cause so that we can beat the crowds.¡±


    Silver who was getting his disheveled hair fixed spoke up with a mocking tone:


    ¡°What crowds. It¡¯s a damn friendly, I would be surprise if anyone even shows up.¡±


    Simon¡¯s turned to look at his friend of his mockingly while speaking:


    ¡°I thought you were a big fan of Brandermill. You should know that were playing Southend United, a team that missed promotion by a hair¡¯s width last season and a favorite to win the league this season. I don¡¯t believe people won¡¯t come see this matchup.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had much time to follow football lately thanks to you.¡±


    Simon couldn¡¯t help but laugh out at Silver¡¯s words. He really has been working a lot lately, which would have caused Simon to feel bad for him if it weren¡¯t for the fact that he volunteered for it.


    After getting in the car and riving off, the three of them talked around about all that was going on aside from work. Less than twenty minutes later, Simon pulled into the Foster Stadium parking lot which was filled with multitudes of cars. After driving around a bit, he eventually made his way to his parking spot after which they headed inside.


    While they were walking towards the inside of the stadium, Simon was looking around at all the supporters who were all wearing Brandermill jerseys of varying colors. Charles and Silver behind him were talking about something, but he was more interested in seeing how many people showed up.


    Under the insistence of Tom, Simon agreed to make all home friendlies half price to gauge the public¡¯s interest in the club. However, even half price tickets could not justify such large crowds on a preseason friendly, but he was happy none the less.


    The three of them made their way to the viewing lounge which was located on top most level of the main stands of the stadium. Foster stadium was not a very large stadium since it only had two single level stands and two double level stands with a total seated capacity of 15 thousand.


    Simon was flabbergasted as he looked at the sea of purple and gold that filled all four stands of the stadium. This was only a preseason matchup, but it seemed that more than 10 thousand people showed up.


    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was the half-price tickets that led to this, or if the club simply had so many avid fans.  Either way, Simon was very excited at the prospects that this game showed, the only thing he needed now was a win to ensure that the crowd¡¯s confidence is solidified.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Ten or so minutes later, as the crowds kept pouring into the stadium stands, the players of bother teams came out of the tunnel to start warming up. The player¡¯s entrance elicited a roar of excitement from the crowd causing Simon¡¯s heart to beat loudly in excitement.


    Southend United who were wearing their light blue and black colors were clearly that away team as they stood out amongst a sea of gold and purple. However, they were a professional team and didn¡¯t seem to be alarmed.


    Simon¡¯s attention as well as the entire stadiums, however, was on the Brandermill team, specially Pelletier who wore a sharp blue suit and gold tie. He stood at the sideline speaking to a couple of players while the remainder warmed up.


    After warming up for a bit, the official gave the two-minute warning and the two teams got on the field as the captains shook hands and changed pleasantries before choosing side with a coin toss.


    The match¡¯s start was met with a roar from the crowd as the excitement reached a boiling point, however, the excitement soon died down as the match progressed. The Brandermill team played with an atypical 3-5-2 which emphasized on discipline and defense.


    This style of play which focused on the keeping the opponent from playing effectively was not very well known in English football which favored strong attacks with tall and powerful forwards. However, Pelletier did not intend to accept the norm.


    By the time 45 minutes passed, both teams were still scoreless. However, Southend united had 17 shots with 1 on target while Brandermill boasted 4 shots with 2 on target. This showed the difference in focus between the two teams.


    James Pelletier stood on the sideline the entire half without uttering a single word of guidance to the players, eliciting various reactions from the supporters who wanted more action. However, he seemed to not notice any of this as he continued watching the match.


    After 15 minutes of half time, both teams returned to the field with a few changes in their lineup. Since this was a preseason friendly, there was no limit placed on substitutions, however, Pelletier seemed to have only made a single substitution.


    The crowd off supporters cheered once again, although not as loudly as soon as the match restarted. As the time went on, people starting to notice a shift in the way Brandermill played with their formation resembling a 3-3-1-3.


    The team still played their disciplined defensive game, but there was more life in their plays at the final third as the new player that Pelletier put in who played at the below top position seemed to pump live into the team.


    The game continued going like this with Southend being denied chance after chance sometime even through the use of tactical fouls, while Brandermill found more chances but were unable to capitalize.


    At the 80<sup>th</sup>minute, Pelletier made another substitution, but by this point, the supporters have settled for a draw so there was nothing expected out of this young substitute that made it into the field yelling and gesturing to the other players.


    However, not even five minutes after entering, that player that was now playing at the below top position scored a through a beautiful free kick that was more than 30 yards away. The entire Stadium erupted into a roar as even the stands shook.


    Simon himself was excited beyond measure as this proved that Pelletier was capable of accomplishing the same things he did in his past life even with the difference in timing. Simon knew that this Italian manager was to be the bane of many English teams with his defensive football that focused on not making any mistakes while punishing all mistakes made by their opponents.


    And sure enough, Brandermill went back to playing 3-5-2 right after the goal, but with less than fifteen minutes left and their team up by one, the supporters where no longer bothered as they waved and cheered enthusiastically.


    Simon looked at his scene and felt a sense of pride and anticipation. He really underestimated the capability of this team and the shear potential that it had. But for now, he couldn¡¯t worry about this as he cheered and yelled with the crowd for their first win of many.


    This will hopefully be that first push his dominos needed.

 Chapter 12: Ruthless Ambition

    Brandermill football club¡¯s preseason campaign led to an increase in enthusiasm and expectation amongst their supporters in the city. In fact, after beating league giants Southend United which mounted a rather potent season last year, followed by a few more victories against other teams in their vicinities, the club was predicted to have an extremely impressive top finish with a chance of promotion, a marked improvement from a club that barely escaped relegation through a fluke last season.


    Simon¡¯s role in the club¡¯s nascent success were not as perceptible as the role that James Pelletier had on the team. Pelletier has turned into a sort of a messiah for the city who lauded him as the man who will lead their team to glory.


    However, where there are supporters, there are bound to be detractors which was the case for Pelletier as well. Many believed that the nearly forty-year-old, Italian, will not be able to cope with English football with his markedly Italian football philosophy.


    This was the reason why at this moment, the week before the first match of the season on August 1<sup>st</sup>, a reporter amongst the host of reporters filling the press room, was currently staring at Pelletier while speaking with an unmistakably mocking tone:


    ¡°Mr. Manager. Everyone who knows even a little football history is aware that the outdated Italian philosophy ofCatenaccio has been proven to no longer work in England. What makes you believe that you will be the exception.¡±


    Simon who was sitting beside Pelletier was smiling unconcernedly as if this was none of his business, on the other side of Pelletier, however, was an uncharacteristically angry looking Tom Tenner who was staring daggers at the reporter.


    Out of the three of them, the one who looked most normal was the stoic Pelletier who just sat there without blinking. His stern face was without a single wrinkle as if he never frowned a day in his life, while his dark hair jutted out from his head making him look slightly dangerous. He simply replied to the reporter without missing a beat:


    ¡°Catenaccio does not work in England? I could have sworn we were playing English teams the last few weeks. It must be an error on my director of football¡¯s part, I apologize.¡±


    His cheek and tongue response without even changing his expression elicited a bit of laughter from the reporter who looked at the questioning reporter in delight. Tom¡¯s face also got slightly less stern. However, the reporter was seemingly unconvinced as he immediately retorted:


    ¡°Is this an official declaration that ¡®your¡¯ Italian football can dominate English football?¡±


    Pelletier was visibility angered and was about to lose patience was about to say something. However, Simon who was sitting next to him beat him to the punch as he spoke while still smiling:


    ¡°Haha. That should be it for today ladies and gentlemen, oh and to the gentlemen form the tribunal, you can go ahead and miss the next few press conferences. Good day.¡±


    Simon immediately stood up and walked towards the exit without waiting for the reporters to respond. The fact that their press conference was cut short caused the other reporter to look at the still standing reporter with anger.


    Simon was not willing to entertain the media¡¯s aggression towards his manager before the season started. He was aware that they will not appreciate this and might even lead a campaign against him for hampering the press, but he was willing to take it for the chance of getting his message across that his manager could not be hounded without basis.


    Simon who was walking ahead of Pelletier and Tom turned his head to them as he spoke:


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about his comments words James. I have full confidence in your ability to lead this club. Just focus on playing your football.¡±


    Pelletier who was walking behind him nodded his head with a slight smile appearing on his face. Tom who was walking next to him, however, was less constrained as he immediately snorted in anger. Simon simply shook his head as he hoped that these two men with diametrically opposite personalities could get along well together.


    Simon paid no mind to Tom¡¯s anger as he continued speaking to Pelletier:


    ¡°Am also going to need you to recommend good youth team coaches since your old job is now vacant.¡±


    ¡°How many coaches?¡±


    This was the only reply that Pelletier gave, but Simon knew what he meant as he replied immediately:


    ¡°3. Hopefully guys who can train the youth squad to play similarly to the first team.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Simon couldn¡¯t help but muse at how efficient conversation were with this man. He proceeded to bid farewell to the two of them after giving them a few more instruction and then headed to the parking lot because he had an important meeting he couldn¡¯t miss.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Simon drove his Aston Martin through the small roads of downtown Brandermill with a look of anticipation on his face. He really was looking forward to the upcoming since he stood to make a tidy sum of money while also gaining some benefits.


    A few days ago, Tom Tenner and James Pelletier approached him with a request to open a youth academy so that Pelletier could effectively instill his footballing philosophy on younger players who will play for the team in the near future.


    Simon was initially very reluctant to commit to this since youth academies are notoriously expensive and time consuming while the results are not even set in stone. However, after thinking about it for a day or so, he realized that this was a rather potentially lucrative idea.


    European teams that have great youth academies such as Westham and Ajax are known for raking in millions through the export of players. Simon did not hope to compete with these giants, but he could at least take advantage of Pelletier¡¯s experience with training youth teams to at least get in on this market.


    However, the development of a youth academy required a number of steps such as the acquiring of a big enough plot of land near their stadium, building and zoning permits and construction which he immediately got his staff to begin.


    Fortunately, it was during this period of filling permits, that Simon received a request for meeting from the Mayoral office regarding his plans to build the academy. Simon didn¡¯t think much of it before he realized that this was a rather monumental opportunity.


    If all things go according to plan, Simon could leave this meeting with a brand-new youth training academy without spending a much of his own money. With these ideas fluttering in his head, Simon finally reached the city council building.


    Walking in while wearing his bright blue suit, Simon stood out amongst the government workers in their dark suits, but he didn¡¯t care much as he made his way to the reception which was being manned by a petite lady with blonde hair.


    Simon walked up to the reception and stared silently at the lady who currently had her head down while playing some sort of puzzle game on here phone. Simon coughed slightly to get her attention, but when that didn¡¯t work, he simply put his hands between the lady and the phone.


    The lady immediately started before looking at Simon with an embarrassed look and speaking apologetically:


    ¡°Pardon me. How may I help you today?¡±


    Simon couldn¡¯t help but smile at here embarrassed face, but he still kept himself from chuckling as he spoke:


    ¡°My name is Simon Emerson and ¡­..¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am Michele Dawson.¡±


    ¡°I have an appointment with the mayor.¡±


    Michele¡¯s self-introduction was sandwiched between Simon¡¯s sentence as she thought he was introducing himself to her. However, she was immediately embarrassed again as she realized what just happened.


    Simon was at a loss at first, but then he proceeded to smile at brightly at the lady and spoke while extending his hand to her:


    ¡°Nice to meet you Michele. Is today your first day.¡±


    Michele who was now beet-red shook Simon hand as she seemed extremely uncomfortable. She simply nodded her head as she spoke:


    ¡°I actually work upstairs and just filling in for my friend for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Is that so. Well, I think you¡¯re doing a fine job. Now, about my meeting¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, just go straight down that hallway.¡±


    Simon was interrupted again as Michele immediately pointed to the to a hallway behind her as if she was trying to chase him away. Simon didn¡¯t take it to heart as he thanked her and proceeded to walk to the mayor¡¯s office with a bright smile on his face.


    Simon knocked as he made it to the office at the end of the hallway with the mayor¡¯s name on the door. He heard a man say enter soon after at which point he proceeded to do just so. The inside of the office was surprisingly well furnished with a large mahogany desk in the center and tall book cases on either sidewall.


    There was a large window behind the person sitting at the desk making it slightly hard to see his features well, but after a few seconds, Simon was able to make out the middle-aged man¡¯s features. He was slightly bulgy with a dark and grey hair. Simon simply smiled at the man before proceeding to sit across from him while speaking:


    ¡°How are you doing today Mayor Johnson.¡±


    Johnson simply looked at Simon oddly for a few seconds since he just proceeded to sit uninvited, but he put a slightly forced smile on his face soon as he spoke:


    ¡°Am doing great Mr. Emerson. How are things on your end, you have been making a lot of news lately.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Am fine, I was even better when I heard Mr. mayor wanted to speak with me himself. Thank you for your time.¡±


    ¡°Well Mr. Emerson is one of our city¡¯s most prominent residents. This meeting was long overdue, don¡¯t you think.¡±


    ¡°Long overdue Indeed¡­¡­¡±


    After a few minutes of empty pleasantries, Simon was starting to get tired, so he immediately decided to cut to the chase:


    ¡°I see. Well, what matter did the you want to discuss with me mayor Johnson.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, well the city council wanted to discuss your plan for a youth training facility.¡±


    ¡°what about it?¡±


    ¡°You see Mr. Emerson. The city council cannot allow the construction of such a large training facility so close to the city center. We were wondering if you had any other locations in mind, perhaps somewhere slightly further.¡±


    Simon looked closely at the man before smiling brightly as he spoke:


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that is possible since we require the training facilities to be close to the team¡¯s home. Am sure you understand.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I do. But am afraid the council will not approve your permits since the land near the Foster Stadium is rather important to the city¡¯s future development plans.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I guess the city is unwilling to assist in the development of the club. This was a mistake on my part Mr. mayor and will immediately rectify it. I¡¯ll make a statement today announcing that the plans for the youth training facility will be scrubbed forthwith, you can tell the council not to worry.¡±


    The old mayor did not even blink an eye at Simon¡¯s veiled threat, but rather smiled even more amicably as he spoke:


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t be so fast to action Mr. Emerson. The city fully supports the club, you just have to give us more options.¡±


    Simon was waiting for those exact words as he spoke with feigned reluctance:


    ¡°Well, I do remember the city is just about to finish their new Secondary school leaving the old school empty. The school is very close to the stadium and would be good enough.¡±


    Johnson was silent for a few seconds before he helplessly shook his head as he spoke:


    ¡°Am afraid the council has other plans for the old school. Do you have any other ideas Mr. Emerson?¡±


    At this point, the smile was long gone from Simon¡¯s face and was replaced by a frown as he spoke in a gritty tone:


    ¡°Then I believe that that Mr. Mayor. I¡¯ll go ahead and show myself out.¡±


    Johnson looked surprised for a second before he spoke hurriedly:


    ¡°Alright, alright Mr. Emerson. I¡¯ll discuss your idea with the rest of the council and see what they think. Just give us some time.¡±


    Simon was not impressed by this old politician¡¯s antics as he knew that this old school would soon be turned into a parking lot by the city. So, he did not feel even slightly bad that he was using the club¡¯s popularity to strong arm them.


    He immediately stood up while speaking with a more jovial tone:


    ¡°I truly believe you will consider my proposal wholeheartedly. In fact, I believe the new high school is need of a football pitch, we at the club would be more than happy to facilitate the construction of such a pitch for the school.¡±


    Simon smiled knowingly at the old politician before walking away. His ambition was not to build a successful team, but to build a lasting legacy that will bear his name for generation to come. Hallmarks of his ambition shall be seen and felt throughout this city and throughout England.


    And even though people might call him ruthless and unruly, he has learned first-hand through pain and suffer that one has to be ruthless if they are to survive and thrive in this world, a costly and painful lesson to learn, and one he wasn¡¯t willing to replicate.

 Chapter 13: Confident Misinformation

    August 2012 was a glorious month for the city of Brandermill and its favorite sons at the Brandermill football club. Out of the four league games the team played in this month, three victories and a draw were the result. This miraculous run of form combined with the fact that the team won their first-round league cup fixture against Burnley ushered a sense of celebration throughout the city.


    All doubt about Pelletier¡¯s style of play and the fact that the average age of his team was 24 were instantly cast out of people¡¯s minds. He was instantly lauded as a hero with local newspapers and news stations putting him under the limelight almost daily.


    Pelletier, however, was not the only hero to emerge from the club during this month. The team captain and oldest player, Tim Dupp, who was 25 this year became a local hero. Acting as the team¡¯s number ten and their player maker, he made his mark by either scoring or assisting almost every goal the team had.


    Considering Pelletier¡¯s very defensive style of play and his document abhorrence for any form of all-out attack opting instead for a slow and methodical approach, Dupp¡¯s role as the only avenue of attack in the team made him extremely visible to the supporters.


    Simon on the other hand was relishing in the effect the teams run of form had on the club¡¯s finances. The two league home games as well as the league cup match produced a bit short of a million pounds. Add in the sale of merchandise and catering revenue, and the club¡¯s finances were almost nearly balanced.


    The club¡¯s successes, while beneficial to the overall atmosphere in the dressing room and boosted the confidence of the players and the supporters, it led to the casting of intense scrutiny on Simon and his business practices.


    The source and size of Simon¡¯s wealth was often the talk of financial and sports pundits since he seemingly spent millions of pounds through numerous avenues and held stakes in more than 8 major companies in or around the city of Brandermill.


    His origins were not unknown to any of the higher echelons of the city since his family and even himself, for a short while, ran the only Bank in the city. However, no one was able to figure out exactly where his immense wealth came from since Simon made sure to claim his lottery winning anonymously.


    Another focus of the pundits was mainly on Simon¡¯s business practices, specially his use of only affiliated companies that he indirectly held a stake in for any and all projects involving the club. Most questioned the legality of something like this and about the implication that this might have on the city¡¯s economy.


    Simon, however, paid no attention to such a thing since he had a host of lawyers headed by his granduncle Jon to make sure that all his contracts and deals were above board. Jon, who was one of the oldest residents of the city, was well versed in commercial law and even more well versed in local laws which made this very easy.


    On the other hand, Simon¡¯s major focus this last month was the repurposing of the old school to the Brandermill FC Youth Academy after leasing the area from the city council for a small amount. Simon spent almost 20 million pounds working with the EPD associated construction company to build a state-of-the-art training facility.


    The cost was nearly halved since the school¡¯s main building was already. This fact combined with the football field with stands and all that was already there made it easy to progress quickly with the construction of the academy.


    The plan that the construction company drafted involved the construction of four extra training fields as well as converting the indoor gymnasium into a turf field. The old school was not extremely big and had about two dozen room which would be converted into offices, lockers, and lodging rooms for players from elsewhere.


    Pelletier, who was the former youth team manager, was instrumental to the development of the academy which he undertook with unusual fervor as if this was where he was most comfortable. He proceeded to request an indoor steam room, a few weight rooms and even an inhouse medical room fitted with an x-ray machine.


    Simon had a slight heartache at the sheer amount of money that was going into this project, but he was not too worried since he simply got the project financed through Emerson Bank. Simon had most of his wealth in a trust with a high interest so that he would have constant returns, so he didn¡¯t dip into that, but rather used the Bank.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Given that Simon owned a substantial stake in the construction company through EPD, he was in reality gaining money, but he was still alarmed at the cost. However, he was committed and the fact that he has long learned that one must spend money to earn money helped keep him going. Even though this academy of his would not be as extravagant as the ones owned by major clubs, it would be leagues above those clubs in first and second leagues.


    Simon, who was wearing a pair of athletic jeans and a white t-shirt, was staring at the buzzing atmosphere around the construction site where his academy should be. The way he was dressed, and his meticulously comped black hair made him standout amongst the workers and the pedestrians walking by.


    Simon did not plan to go into the construction site to get a closer look. He simply pulled over to see how the work was progressing as he was heading to Shepard¡¯s to get drunk with Charles and Silver. Seeing the hundreds of people going about doing one thing or another, he simply nodded his head in satisfaction and was about to get back in the car and head to the bar.


    However, as soon as he turned around, he noticed a lady in a light summer dress walking near his car with a pair of headphones in her ear. The first thing that caught his attention was the flowery sundress which complemented her rosy skin perfectly.


    Simon immediately walked towards the lady who was walking at a leisurely pace before speaking:


    ¡°Ms. Howard.¡±


    Simon¡¯s words, however, got no response from the lady as she kept walking. Simon saw the headphones in her ears, so he quickened his pace slightly to catch up before tapping her on the shoulder. Ms. Howard immediately turned with freight as her deep blue eyes stared at the cordially smiling Simon.


    However, seeing that he startled her, Simon immediately looked apologetic as he put his arms up in disarmingly while speaking:


    ¡°Sorry if I scared you Ms. Howard.¡±


    Seeing that it was only Simon, Ms. Howard took off her headphone and spoke with a suspicious and slightly irritated tone:


    ¡°Mr. Emerson. Is something the matter.¡±


    Simon who did not expect such a cold reception smiled sheepishly while replying:


    ¡°Nothing much Ms. Howard. I just saw you and wanted to say hi.¡±


    Ms. Howard looked at him with the suspicious look still on her face before speaking again while turning to walk away:


    ¡°Well, hello to you too. Now if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Simon was at a loss at her odd behavior as he walked up to beside her and continued speaking as if he didn¡¯t notice her brushing him off:


    ¡°So where are you headed to Ms. Howard? Can I call you Elaine by the way?¡±


    Elaine simply cast him a sidelong glance before speaking with some irritation:


    ¡°I am meeting some friends to get some early dinner before heading to see a film. And no, you might not call me Elaine.


    Simon was starting to get disheartened by her attitude, but he didn¡¯t take it to heart as he simply continued talking:


    ¡°What a coincidence, I am also going to go get dinner with friends before heading to the movies. Would you mind if I tag along till we get there?¡±


    Elaine who was also getting agitated replied with a nod and tried to put on her headphones, but Simon interrupted her by talking again with his overly cheerful tone that was starting to get on her nerve:


    ¡°So, how have you been Elaine. How¡¯s work?¡±


    Elaine looked at Simon without even attempting to hide the annoyance in her face before speaking:


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°I see, that¡¯s good. How¡¯s the family doing?¡±


    Elaine raised her eyebrows at his question as he questioned him with a suspicious tone:


    ¡°You know my family?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­.not. I was just inquiring about them.¡±


    The irritation was back on Elaine¡¯s face, but it was much less than before. Seeing this, Simon was encouraged as he continued bothering her with a barrage of questions which she answered out of polite consideration.


    As they walked further downtown, Simon who was constantly chirping at Elaine was starting to make headway as he figured out the best way to get a response out of her was to arouse her curiosity or ask something unexpected.


    Eventually, the two of them reached the vicinity of a small restaurant with 4 ladies and two guys standing outside while wearing casual clothes. The moment the gang laid eyes on Elaine and Simon, they walked towards them while smiling and waving.


    Simon also smiled and waved back at them as they got closer. Seeing this a hint of a smile flashed past Elaine¡¯s face before being replaced by her usual irritated look. When the group reached other, one of the girls was the first to speak:


    ¡°Hi Elaine. I thought you said you were coming alone, is this your boyfriend?¡±


    Elaine and Simon were caught by surprise by the girl¡¯s words, but Simon was the first to recover as he immediately extended his hand to the girl who spoke while replying with a smile:


    ¡°Nice to meet you, am Simon. Elaine has told me a lot about you guys.¡±


    Elaine was surprised once again as she stared speechlessly at Simon who was introducing himself to her friends without correcting her friends misunderstanding. She wanted to jump in-between him and her friends and tell them that he was not her boyfriend but didn¡¯t know how to go about it.


    She simply decided to tell them straight away, but before she could speak, Simon who just finished shaking everyone¡¯s hand spoke while laughing:


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll let you guys get your food. My buddies and I will be eating at Shepard¡¯s pub before heading to the movies. Swing by if you want so that we can head to the movies together.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that sounds like a fun idea, we¡¯ll definitely take you up on that.¡±


    As soon as Simon heard the reply from one of the ladies in the group, he nodded and turned to the still flabbergasted Elaine and got close to her as if he was about to hug her before stopping halfway and speaking with a playful smile:


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later El. Call me if you need a ride home later.¡±


    Elaine who could barely keep up with what was going on was once again shocked by Simon¡¯s words which not only gave her a nickname but also told her to call him later so that he could take her home.


    Simon immediately walked away from the group while waving goodbye as he made it his way to Shepard¡¯s. This was a slightly cheap blow from his part, but he really couldn¡¯t help it since it was presented to him on a silver platter.


    Elaine¡¯s shocked look was extremely adorable, especially her deep blue eyes that exuded innocent exuberance. He couldn¡¯t help but have a smile plastered on his face as he thought about that face of hers.

 Chapter 14: Wealth and Influence.

    Simon was currently sitting in a well-lit studio while wearing a casual, grey suit. Across from him sat a man with glasses who seemed to be in his early thirties wearing a full suit. There were more than three cameras pointed at the duo from three different angles and a lot of spotlights shining on them.


    Simon, who was comfortably settled in his seat, was smiling kindly. On the other hand, the man who was across from him was facing the camera as he spoke:


    ¡°Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the Brandermill Review. We have a special guest with us today on November 10, 2012, Simon Emerson. Mr. Emerson is the owner of the Brandermill Football Club, a major local businessman and investor as well as one of the richest, if not the richest person in our small city. Thank you for joining us today Mr. Emerson.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for having me Edward¡±


    ¡°Alright Simon. Let¡¯s just get into it. Even though the Emerson family bank is not new, your foray into multiple different sectors such as investing, and club ownership came out of nowhere a few months ago. What led to this?¡±


    ¡°Well Edward, it is not unknown that the city council accepted a deal from Proscan International to establish a branch in the city. My family¡¯s small bank would not have been able to compete with such a large bank, so I decided to sell the bank to proscan. Fortunately, this gave me a bit of free time and some capital to start investing in other sectors.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, do you believe that the city council¡¯s plans to modernize the city could lead to more and more local and historical businesses shutting down due to the arrival of bigger competitors like in your case.¡±


    ¡°Naturally Edward, that is a real possibility. However, bigger competition might not necessarily be a bad thing if the local businesses are willing to adapt and improve. This is of course under the assumption that the city council provides an atmosphere conducive to local business and protects against predatory practices from bigger companies.¡±


    ¡°What sort of predatory practices?¡±


    ¡°The most common Is simply buying the properties of local businesses from their owners and bank and simply evicting them. If the city council discourages such practices from bigger companies, I believe that the bigger competitor will lead to the city¡¯s economy thriving.¡±


    Simon was not making this up as this was exactly how bigger companies in his past live got local businesses to leave after the wave of development that will happen over the next year. Businesses such as the ones owned by his granduncles were the first to be hit, which is why he was even bothering to take this interview.


    Edward simply continued after looking at one of his que cards for a second:


    ¡°Speaking of predatory practices; The Brandermill football club has a number of associated businesses that provide services for it. These businesses are all companies you indirectly hold a substantial stake in, making it seem slightly predatory.¡±


    Simon looked closely at Edward with the smile still on his face but with much less kindness before he replied:


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how this is predatory. Care to enlighten me Edward.¡±


    ¡°Alright, imagine two companies were competing for a contract with your club. Given your previous track record, it is possible that whichever company is willing to sell you the most shares would be the one to receive the contract. This indirectly coerces companies to fall into your fold to receive your business, which sounds predatory if I say so myself.¡±


    ¡°I see why you would think that Edward, and even though such a thing is not illegal, it is extremely predatory. However, I would like to state for the record that this is not how much club does business. We do give preference to associated companies through EPD Holdings, however, we never give contracts in return for stakes.¡±


    ¡°How about the accusations that you have acquired the club through what was essentially a hostile takeover last May.¡±


    ¡°That is simply not true. The club having just been relegated and in tremendous debt was happily sold to me by the previous share holder. Considering I myself was a shareholder at the time, I simply took control instead of taking over.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk a bit about the club then Simon. You¡¯re firing or loaning of almost all the players that were here last season was extreme to say the least. How can you justify that to the fans and supporters who grew to love and support those players?¡±


    ¡°Well Edward, at the risk of sounding slightly heartless, last season was a disaster. So, I simply wiped the slate clean and restarted with a new team under a new manager and a philosophy of wining and more, and I think it is clear how that has been going these last few months with the team sitting comfortably at a playoff position. I would also like to make it clear that I actually didn¡¯t fire any player, but that they¡¯ve left on their own accord after the near relegation, I simply refused to offer contracts to people who would abandon the club at its moment of need and I refuse to apologize for that.¡±


    ¡°Considering you have invested quite a bit into the club, notably the BFC Youth Academy which was recently opened, how would you describe your vision is for the club?¡±


    ¡°What I want for the club is a legacy. As a businessman, I am tempted to say profitability, but as a lifelong fan of the Brandies, I want them to succeed and reach higher heights. Manager Pelletier will be the man to take us there, and I hope for the supporters to follow.¡±


    ¡°Alright Simon, one last question before we wrap this interview up. As one of last months ¡®most eligible bachelors¡¯, interest in the state of your private love life has been rather high with many wondering what the situation is like on that front.¡±


    Simon was slightly taken back by the question which he didn¡¯t expect at all. But after a few seconds, an enigmatic smile appeared on his face as he spoke:


    ¡°Well, that is unexpected. All I will say is that if a certain girl was willing to give me a chance, we would not be having this conversation.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So, there is someone. Mind telling us about her.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Well ladies and gentlemen. That is it for tonight¡¯s episode of the Brandermill Review. Very sincere thanks to our guest, Simon Emerson, and we¡¯ll see you next week. I am Edward Howard, Singing off¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    After the interview was over, Simon and Edward stood up from their seats and walked off the little stage towards one another. Simon was the first to start talking as soon as they got close enough to each other:


    ¡°That was a ruthless set of questions Ed. Not at all what how you said it would be.¡±


    Edward simply laughed as he spoke:


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart Simon, I was just taking advantage of the fact that I had you in the spotlight. You¡¯re not an easy man to get an interview with.¡±


    Simon looked at this Edward who suddenly seemed very different from his serious demeanor during the interview and spoke with a sigh:


    ¡°I noticed recently that some people painted me as a villain of some sorts, I was advised to get ahead of the rumors before it got too out of hand.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, you¡¯re not as bad as I thought you would were if that¡¯s any consolation.¡±


    ¡°I hope the people see it as so. Anyway, am going to head out Ed. Thanks for having me today.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I couldn¡¯t believe it when little Elaine said that you have agreed to an exclusive, you should tune in tonight for when the episode airs.¡±


    ¡°I will. Anyway, I¡¯ll see you around.¡±


    Simon immediately shook hands with Edward and headed to a side exit of the studio which led to the parking lot. Simon immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number as he walked towards his car.


    A few seconds later the call was answered, and a male¡¯s voice was heard. Simon immediately spoke with a serious look on his face:


    ¡°Hey Charles. How is everything going?¡±


    ¡°Oh Simon. It¡¯s going fine, I just got managed to finalize the takeover with that realtor company you suggested, but Silver said that their assets are not worth much compared to their competitors, I don¡¯t understand how this could be beneficial to us.¡±


    ¡°I have it on good authority that the city council is about to launch a new initiative that makes the city much more financially welcoming to big companies, I want you to get ahead of that and acquire as much land as you can downtown be using the realtor company.¡±


    ¡°Is this another one of your premonitions?¡±


    ¡°Have my premonitions ever failed to deliver?¡±


    ¡°I guess not. Well, it¡¯s done anyway, and we¡¯ll do as you say. Is there anything else you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Can you look into acquiring a news station in the city or its vicinity. I am just starting to see the benefit and necessity of controlling public perception.¡±


    ¡°You do know that sounds eerily villain-like? Do I have to remind you that we are not trying to take over this city Simon?¡±


    Simon couldn¡¯t help but smile at the perceptiveness of this friend of his. If it weren¡¯t for his trusting and hopeful nature that always sees the best in people, he would have been a terrifying shark in the business world. Simon, however, preferred this innocent Charles, and they only needed one morally flexible person to get what he needed done.


    ¡°Stop overthinking things Charles, I just need a station to air behind the scenes for the club and act as a recruitment for the club and associated businesses.¡±


    By the time Simon was able to convince Charles that he wasn¡¯t up to anything nefarious, he was already in his Aston Martin and rushing downtown for another meeting with the mayor. Simon never really liked that old politicians because he always felt on guard around him as if he might be sold something without consent.


    However, Simon knew that wealth wields a certain amount of influence, and influence was something that he never had in his old life. But since he had both wealth and influence in this life, Simon was not going to be shy about leveraging it to his gain. And as far as Simon was concerned, there was no better or deserving target to influence than a politician.


    The thing that Simon needed from the city council and by extension the mayor was some form of decrease in city taxes. Naturally, he knew that separating a politician from his unearned money was not easy, but that wouldn¡¯t be the case over the coming few months.


    The last year has seen an increasing sentiment across England for the election of mayors with numerous cities adapting the system instead of the old appointment-based system, and it just so happens that Brandermill will be adapting this in January.


    And as well intentioned as the idea was since it promotes accountability and democracy, it also opens the door to third party influence. Simon¡¯s goal in this venture was to limit the repetition of what happened in his last life where the current mayor was duly defeated and replaced by a very much pro-business mayor who oversaw the complete gentrification of the city.


    Simon was not na?ve enough to believe that he and his little bit of wealth could withstand the efforts of multi-billion-dollar industries without the aid of the city council. He also knew that this was a very good opportunity for him to solidify his influence while gaining some benefits, after all, he was not a saint.


    Now that the club was mounting an unprecedented campaign where they have only lost 4 games with half of the season gone, his influence was perhaps at its highest. He had to capitalize on this before the big boys arrive.